Ruinart Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne Dom Ruinart 2010

98 points/'Blanc de Blancs Prestige Champagne of the Year 2022,' Tom Hewson (TimAtkin.com): "100% Chardonnay, 90% of which is from Cramant, Avize, Oger and Le Mesnil and 10% from Sillery. The first edition of this wine aged under cork at tirage. In a word: explosive. Dom Ruinart 2010 transcends the vintage reputation, and then some. Not only is its aromatic power and range quite remarkable, with layer upon layer of heady mocha, toasted rye, charred citrus and hazelnut, but some of the coolness of the harvest manifests itself in a beautifully restrained, measured palate that progresses without a single bump into a finish laced with dark honey, honeysuckle and vanilla. Absolutely remarkable. (Dec 2022)"

98 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2010 Dom Ruinart is starting to open up nicely. There's still plenty of the intense, chalky minerality and energy the wine showed last year, but also a bit more mid-palate richness to balance things out. Lemon confit, marzipan, white flowers, slate and white pepper are some of the many aromas and flavors that take shape in the glass. As good as the 2010 is today, I imagine it will be even better in another few years' time. As I have written previously, the 2010 Dom Ruinart is one of the most impressive Champagnes ever made here. If there is anything better, I don't think I have tasted it! Drink: 2024-2050. (May 2023)"

98 points Falstaff Guide: "Pale yellow-green, silver reflections, fine, lively mousseux. Vanilla, fine roasted aromas from the long yeast storage, intense iris blossoms, almond cake, some broom, very multi-faceted, reductive bouquet, candied limes, very multi-faceted and inviting. Complex, fine white fruit, appears light-footed, finesse-rich acid structure, white apple, salty-lemony, very good length, fine, salty style, a delicate wine, endowed with incredible youthfulness and freshness. A milestone for Dom Ruinart, chapeau! (Deg. 1/2020) (9/30/22)"

97-98 points Essi Avellan, MW: "Overall 2010 was not a great year in Champagne, but it was for some Chardonnays, as this brilliant Dom Ruinart showcases. At Ruinart, the speciality is closing with natural cork for lees ageing, but this is the first time for Dom Ruinart in the recent era. It has resulted in fabulous ageing with stunning reductive toasty layers. The sweet coffee-and-cream nose has yeasty complexities melanging with soft, spicy tones like coconut and vanilla. The fruitiness is as pristine as it gets. Lemon curd, lime zest, orange blossom... Beautifully reductive in the aroma profile, almost like having the magnum effect in a 75cl bottle! So fine and delicious on the silky-smooth and seemingly feather-light palate. This wine shows that Chardonnay really had what it takes in that difficult year. A stunning wine that is blooming already but comes with such cool refinement and tightness that longevity is easy to predict. Disgorged 11/20; dosage 6g/l. (Au 2022)"

97 points Bettane & Desseauve Guide (2023).

96 points Audrey Frick (JebDunnuck.com): "This is the first vintage of this cuvée that the house has opted to age under cork instead of crown capsule for the aging on the lees, sur latte. It pours a vibrant straw/green hue, and comes from five villages: Sillery, Avize, Cramant, Chouily, and Mesnil-sur-Oger. The 2010 Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc De Blancs Extra Brut was raised, as it always is, without the use of oak, and saw 3 grams per liter of dosage. Highly expressive on opening, it’s layered with aromas of fresh baked croissant, key lime, melon, and honeysuckle. Rounded and long on the palate, it’s elegant and refined within its medium frame and takes on a remarkable silky chalk texture. Floral all the way through the finish, with long-lasting notes of lemon curd, it retains a springy freshness that is true to the house style but is quite elevated and impeccably well-balanced with layered depth. This would be a great addition to the cellar. Drink 2025-2045. Disgorged in June of 2022. Drink: 2025-2045. (11/17/23)"

95 points Yohan Castaing (Decanter): "Delicate nutty expressions of blanched almonds and warm biscuits on the nose, accompanied by notes of lemon oil, spring flowers, pastry, pear and exotic fruit. A hint of reduction in the form of a smoky element, attributable to the fact that the cellar ageing of this Champagne was carried out under cork rather than with the usual crown cap. On the palate, this Champagne is medium- to full-bodied and well balanced, with good textural vinosity, but there is also delicacy thanks to its pinpoint mousse. There is a mouthwatering touch of bitterness on the long, resonating finish. This is a Champagne with real ageing potential that has both the powerful character and elegance of a Burgundy grand cru wine. 100% Chardonnay sourced from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize, Chouilly and Cramant (90%) and 10% from Sillery, situated in the northeast of the Montagne de Reims sector. Dosage: 4g/l. Drink: 2022-2050. (Jun 2022)"

95 points Wine Spectator: "[$295 list] A mineral-driven Champagne, creamy and compact, this deftly meshes a layer of smoke, chalk and saline with detailed flavors of glazed apple and apricot, roasted hazelnut and ginger-infused pastry cream carried on a raw silky mousse. The fine texture softens the firm spine of chiseled acidity that structures the wine, and hints of white blossoms, Meyer lemon and oyster shell play on the finish. Disgorged November 2020. Drink now through 2035. (12/15/22)"

95 points Wine Enthusiast: "This is certainly a mature Champagne. With its ripe character, the dryness has softened to give richness, a beautiful nutty flavor while retaining acidity. A very fine Champagne, it is ready to drink now. Alcohol 12.5%. (Dec 2022)"

94 points William Kelley (Wine Advocate): "The first vintage since the 1960s to see tirage under natural cork in lieu of crown caps, the 2010 Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs was disgorged in November 2021. It's showing nicely, over-performing for the vintage, displaying aromas of yellow orchard fruit, toasted nuts, spices, smoke, dried white flowers and iodine. Medium to full-bodied, pillowy and layered, with impressive concentration and chalky structure, it concludes with a long, saline finish. (Aug 2022)"

94 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2010 Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs is a beautiful young wine, but it is still quite structured and really deserves some cellaring time to fully blossom. The vins clairs are fermented and aged in stainless steel and go through full malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged more than ten years sur latte, under cork, rather than crown cap, and disgorged in October of 2021. It was finished with a dosage of four grams per liter. It delivers a beautiful aromatic constellation of lemon, apple, a touch of iodine, fresh-baked bread, limestone minerality, dried flowers and plenty of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and complex, with a brisk spine of acidity, lovely focus and grip, refined mousse and a long, well-balanced and still quite youthful finish. This is already approachable, but to my palate it is very much deserving of at least another four or five years in the cellar to allow its secondary layers of complexity to emerge. It will be far more generous on the palate once it has had some hibernation time in the cellar to allow its fine girdle of acidity to relax a bit more. Fine, fine juice. 2027-2060+. (May/Jun 2023)"

94 points James Suckling: "Almost like a white, with a smoky and flinty nose. Dried lemons, cedar, smoked almonds, spiced apples, hazelnuts, salted butter and toast. Tangy and sharp, yet creamy and buttery, too, with fine bubbles. Hazelnuts at the end. Disgorged in February 2021. Drink or hold. (8/8/22)"