1996 Ruinart "Dom Ruinart" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne

93 points Wine Enthusiast: "Made entirely from grand cru grapes, this is a beautiful wine, layering toast and ripe fruit with a proper minerality from the year. Flavors of honey, toast and nougat soften the aftertaste. It is ready to drink now, but it has still a ways to go, as the intense concentration of fruit opens out." (12/31/2007) 94+ points in Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: "Pale gold with an energetic mousse. Highly aromatic nose offers a sexy, smoky perfume of pear, white peach, candied lemon, buttery brioche and honeysuckle. Youthfully firm, palate-staining green apple and citrus flavors are complicated by gently toasty lees; chewy in texture, with an expansive but vibrant back end. Serious, penetrating and deep wine, with outstanding clarity and lingering finishing flavors of tangerine, lemon pith and spiced pear. Very impressive but awfully young, with the concentration and balance to repay ten or more years of cellaring." (Nov/Dec 07) Our notes: One of the top wines of that great, great vintage and very reminiscent of high class Corton Charlemagne. Composed entirely of grand cru Chardonnay, 65% from the Cotes de Blancs and 35% from the mountain of Reims it has a very mineral, driven focused green apple and fresh bread nose. Extraordinarily serious, compact, concentrated flavors with a nice nutty note in the background, it long to a fault. One of the greats!- Gary Westby, K&L