Champagne Yves Ruffin Cuvée Racines Extra Brut Premier Cru NV

Champagne Yves Ruffin has stood out from the crowd from its inception in 1971 with a strong focus on organic viticulture – which, at the time, was hopelessly rare. Yves and his wife, Odette Pitois – both born into grower families – were just one of four winegrowers out of thousands at this time to concentrate on organic practices in order to preserve their environment. Eventually, the family expanded its holdings to a few hectares of vineyards in Tauxières-Mutry, overlapping both Vallée de la Marne and la Montagne de Reims. Yves also began partnering with local artists to craft one-of-a-kind labels for his cuvees in the mid-’90s, and you can see a splash of originality at the top of this wine’s label.

Once Yves retired, the winery passed hands to his son Thierry, who continued forging a path for organic farming, oak barrel vinification, traditional pressing, and lengthy aging practices. Sadly, Thierry passed away prematurely, and for a time, his wife Sylvie was able to keep the doors open. After about a decade, she was reaching the point of wishing to retire in 2019, and her young son Antonin, who had recently begun his winemaking schooling, stepped in with his girlfriend, Cecile. Most of the library had been sold, they had no extra cash to buy grapes, and so they had to rely on the solera of reserve wines (Pinot Noir from 2012-2017) and some barrels of base wines (Chardonnay from 2016 and 2017). In a final effort to keep the family business going, Antonin blended these wines, bottled for secondary fermentation, and more than six years later, this wine we’re sharing today is the last of this exquisite creation to exist.

As our head buyer Emily said so perfectly, “It is so complex and layered, and can never be recreated.” Since then, Antonin and Cecile have fully stepped into their own as winemakers, bringing the winery in a new, youthful direction by introducing their own styles and new cuvees, and simultaneously continuing the family legacy in Thierry’s honor. 

The result is astoundingly terrific: rich and autolytic, with tons of mineral complexity that carries ample citrus notes of pomelo, lime, and blood orange. There’s a nutty, toasty characteristic that the 96-point review aptly describes as hen of the woods mushroom, which is exactly spot on. The creamy mousse lingers impressively, and baked apples and pears develop in the glass over time. This is just massively fantastic stuff that will compete with the cult-y wines of Champagne’s greats. Our price got it from triple digits to double – which, in our minds, absolutely grants you permission to order at least two. Do with that what you will!