Discovery of Ruinart bottles from 1926 in Paul Bocuse’s cellars

DISCOVERY OF RUINART 1926 BOTTLES IN THE CELLARS OF PAUL BOCUSE

The discovery of an old vintage always brings a strong emotion that goes beyond the simple oenological point of view.

It was during a thorough cleaning of the cellars of the emblematic starred restaurant Paul Bocuse, in Lyon, that Maxime Valery, the new Head Sommelier, discovered 18 bottles of Ruinart champagne from 1926, scattered in various racks.

Dusty but in excellent condition, most of them were given to Frédéric Panaïotis, Cellar Master of the Ruinart House, to join the wine library of the oldest Champagne House.

Silent and priceless witnesses of an era and of the link between a three-star chef, a mythical table and a great wine.

” As soon as I heard about these bottles, I went there to see them .
It is a rarity because following the Second World War, there were only 10 000
bottles in our cellars and no more archives. – Frédéric Panaïotis, Cellar Master, Ruinart ” In 1926, the temperature was supposed to give a good wine. August was beautiful but the flowering was late: the grapes matured under the October sun. All the possible diseases the vine had them: but the harvest was beautiful given the drought. The “Ruinart” label is an extract from the Ruinart Archives’ cellar notebooks. During the tasting of this vintage, Frédéric Panaïotis, Cellar Master of the Ruinart House, said: “Full-bodied wine, with heat. Must make a perfect English wine. The wine has not been altered too much by oxygen over time. It still retains aromas of ripe fruit, apricot, candied lemons and candied oranges. This is remarkable.“