Ruelle-Pertois Cuvée de Réserve Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Brut Champagne NV is a 100% Chardonnay Champagne from the Côte des Blancs, blended from two vintages and aged for six years on lees. It is a refined, mineral-driven wine—bright and citrus-driven in youth, with the chalky complexity and creamy texture to develop gracefully over the next few years.
Technical Details
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Producer: Ruelle-Pertois, Moussy, Côte des Blancs, Champagne, France
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Wine: Champagne Premier Cru, Cuvée de Réserve Blanc de Blancs Brut
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Vintage: Non-vintage, blend of two vintages
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Grape variety: 100% Chardonnay
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Vineyard: Approximately 90% from Grand Cru vineyards in Chouilly, Oiry and Cramant; remainder from Pierry
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Vineyard classification: Premier Cru
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Ageing: 6 years on lees
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Dosage: 7 g/l
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Alcohol: 12%
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Bottle size: 750 ml
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Critic scores: 92/100 — Wilfred Wong, Wine.com; 91/100 — Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate; 90/100 — Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar
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Drinking window: Enjoy over the next couple of years, per Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
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Serving temperature: 8–10°C
The Producer
Ruelle-Pertois is a family-owned Champagne house based in Moussy, between the Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs. Founded by Michel Ruelle and Martine Pertois, the estate is now run by their children and is known for its Blanc de Blancs Champagnes that emphasize freshness, minerality and terroir expression.
The estate owns approximately 15 acres of vineyards, producing around 4,000 cases of Champagne annually. The Cuvée de Réserve is one of its flagship bottlings, largely sourced from Grand Cru vineyards in the Côte des Blancs.
Vineyard and Terroir
The Cuvée de Réserve is made from 100% Chardonnay, with approximately 90% sourced from Grand Cru vineyards in Chouilly, Oiry and Cramant, and the remainder from Pierry. These chalk-rich soils give the wine its hallmark minerality, saline tension and crystalline structure.
The blend of two vintages, combined with six years of lees ageing, gives the wine its depth, complexity and creamy texture. The result is a Blanc de Blancs that is both bright and citrus-driven, with an underlying richness that makes it more generous than many leaner examples.
Tasting Profile
The Cuvée de Réserve leads with a delightful nose of peony, apple blossom, lime, grapefruit and apricot, which presage the character of a juicy, brightly citric, yet subtly creamy-textured palate. A faint bite and muskiness of rose radish combines with light chew of apple skin and piquancy of lemon rind for invigoration.
Wilfred Wong describes the wine as complex and lasting on the palate, with aromas and flavours of ripe fruit, earth and a hint of creaminess. The finish features subtle mineral and lemon curd qualities, with good lift and energy.
Aroma and flavour: peony, apple blossom, lime, grapefruit, apricot, green apple, lemon curd, hazelnut, toasted lees, crème brûlée and subtle mineral notes.
Palate: light- to medium-bodied, juicy and creamy, with vibrant acidity, fine mousse, layered fruit and a sustained saline finish.
Style: a refined, terroir-driven Blanc de Blancs—bright and citrus-driven in youth, with the chalky complexity and creamy texture to develop over time.
Drinking Window
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate suggests enjoying this excellent value Champagne over the next couple of years, noting that its texture is more interesting and more transparent to flavour subtleties than the corresponding Grand Cru vintage Blanc de Blancs. The wine’s balance and complexity give it the ability to develop gracefully in the near term.
Serve it cool at 8–10°C and allow it time in the glass to reveal its full aromatic complexity and mineral depth.
Food Pairing
Serve at 8–10°C with oysters, raw shellfish, sea urchin, langoustines, crab, sushi and sashimi. Its saline finish and citrus precision also make it excellent with grilled fish, white asparagus, poultry in cream sauce, and young or lightly aged goat’s cheese.
Wilfred Wong specifically recommends pairing it with roast chicken in a savoury wine reduction sauce, allowing the wine’s creamy texture and mineral structure to complement the dish.
Collector Note
This is a well-regarded Blanc de Blancs from a family-owned grower-producer, made largely from Grand Cru fruit in the Côte des Blancs. The Cuvée de Réserve is produced in limited quantities, and its six years of lees ageing and two-vintage blend make each release distinctive.
The combination of Ruelle-Pertois’s reputation, the chalky Côte des Blancs terroir and the freshness of the non-vintage blend makes this a compelling choice for collectors seeking age-worthy, terroir-driven Champagne with long-term development potential.
Recommended serving: open and allow 30–60 minutes in a large white-wine glass before serving at 8–10°C to reveal its full aromatic complexity and mineral depth.
