1996 Dom Ruinart Rose
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Tasting notes
Disgorged with a dosage of 10 grams per liter—considerably higher than the four to five grams at which more recent releases of this cuvée are finished—the 1996 Dom Ruinart Rosé opens with a bouquet of red berries, blood orange, cherry plum and burnt buttered toast, mingling with notes of roasted coffee bean and walnut with a faint hint of cognac and earthy undertones. On the palate, it is medium- to full-bodied, taut and vinous, with incisive acidity and a cut that exemplifies the vintage’s characteristically low pH, culminating in a long, perfumed finish. While it may not possess the seamless harmony of its contemporary counterparts, this wine is woven from a more old-fashioned cloth and is best savored at the close of a meal. It comprises 83% Chardonnay and 17% Pinot Noir vinified as a red wine.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
A head-turning beauty, the 1996 Dom Ruinart Rosé boasts gorgeous, resonant fruit to match its considerable structure and intensity. Although quite pretty and expressive, the 1996 has enough balance to develop gracefully in bottle for years to come.
The 1996 Brut Dom Ruinart Rosé 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 Rosé 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 Rosé. Accordingly, my score represents the wine's potential at maturity rather than where it is today. This is Lot: ADONA6, disgorged October 2006.
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. Dec 2008, www.robertparker.com