The Wine Curmudgeon held out as long as he could. But the most important special occasion of the year was coming up, and the fact that Ruinart's price, thanks to the weak dollar and the shortsighted Champagne business, had increased by 16 percent in 18 months was no excuse.
Sometimes, even I have to admit that spending a lot of money for a bottle of wine is worth it. The Ruinart ($84, purchased) was everything it has always been, and even a little more. The bottle was gone in 45 minutes, despite our best efforts to make it last. And I swear that the wine changed at least three times during that period. It was bit tight but still excellent when we opened it, becoming more caramel after 20 minutes or so. And then, when there was but two glasses left, it delivered bright and amazing pear fruit followed by some kind of lemon something or other.
This is sparkling wine to celebrate with, even at this price. Highly recommended. And the food pairing? Popeye's fried chicken, actually. It worked quite well (as I always told my students it would). And if Popeye's isn't what it once was, it's still worth reckoning with.
Good call! This is probably one of my favorite Champagnes. Granted, my experience with $$$ bubbly is not so great yet this one rises to the top.
Posted by: Kyle | August 20, 2010 at 12:32 PM
I've been lucky enough to taste a lot of very high-end and pricey bubbly, and dollar for dollar, the Ruinart may be the best I've had. The $350 Dom rose was pretty good, but I don't think it was four times better than this.
Posted by: Jeff Siegel | August 23, 2010 at 07:37 AM
Picked up a bottle of this the other for $49. Saving it until April to celebrate the birth of our first!
Posted by: Kyle | December 02, 2010 at 12:29 PM