Dom Ruinart Vintage Rose is a rare expression from the most noble of Chardonnay, a magical experience, a genuine feast for the senses. Dom Ruinart Rose 1996 is a unique type of blend for a Rose champagne, based mainly on Chardonnay grapes: a blend of 84% Grands Grus Chardonnay (55% from the Cote des Blancs and 45% from the Montagne de Reim) and 16% Pinot Noir Grands Crus fully vinified in red from VERZENAY and VERZY.

Rating

Wine Spectator 92 points (Nov 30 2008) Strong aromas of toast and graphite lead off in this exotic Champagne. Apricot, butterscotch and grapefruit notes follow up as this cruises to a long finish. It's refined, with a vibrant structure. Drink now through 2020. –BS  Wine Advocate 93 points (Dec 2008) The 1996 Brut Dom Ruinart Rose is a dense, shut-down wine that needs serious time in the cellar to come together. With additional bottle age, the Pinot character should emerge, as it almost always does. For now, this remains a structured Rose that only occasionally reveals the brilliance that it appears capable of, yet all of the ingredients are present for the 1996 to emerge as a brilliant Dom Ruinart Rose. Accordingly, my score represents the wine’s potential at maturity rather than where it is today. This is Lot: ADONA6, disgorged October 2006. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2026.