Maison - Nos caves

The crayères, Ruinart's cellars, bear witness to the ancestral know-how behind its most emblematic wines.

The address 4 RUE DES CRAYÈRES is named in tribute to the magic of this underground site, which was opened to guided tours very early on.

Among the deepest in the region, reaching depths of over 38 meters, these ancient white chalk cellars are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

SOME KEY FIGURES

MAXIMUM DEPTH

38 meters

LENGTH

8 kilometers of galleries on 3 levels

INSTALLATION DATE OF Maison Ruinart

1877

Distinctions

Doubly recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage and historic site

A PLACE STEEPED IN HISTORY

Formed in the Cretaceous period, the chalk that forms the walls of the chalk pits has survived the centuries. Used for building houses until the 18th century, it was dug underground to form pyramidal mazes, signatures of Champagne's history. Ruinart was one of the first to set up its cellars here in 1877. With the acquisition of this grandiose site, in the heart of the Butte Saint Nicaise, the House built a network of 8 kilometers of galleries on 3 levels. Production and offices were transferred to this historic site during the First World War, to escape the bombardments. In 2015, the Saint-Nicaise hill and pits were added to UNESCO's prestigious World Heritage List in the "cultural landscape" category. To date, they are the only ones in the city of Reims to also be classified as a historic site.

NATURAL CELLARS

In the peaceful atmosphere of the crayères, Ruinart wines undergo their long aging process. It is here, in the depths of this chalk labyrinth, that several key stages in the elaboration of Ruinart champagnes take place: entreillage, prise de mousse and remuage. Reflecting the terroir of the Champagne region, these ancient chalk quarries provide the ideal conditions for maturing the wines: darkness, a constant temperature of 10 to 12 degrees and perfect hygrometry.

TODAY'S CELLARS

The pits are still in operation today. Hundreds of thousands of bottles of all ages are stored here. Cuvées can be stored for up to 3 years for non-millésimées, 5 years for millésimées, and around 10 years for Dom Ruinart.

The Cellar Master has also set up a reserve of his rarest bottles,

Throughout the year, the Maison opens the doors of this extraordinary place to you. As you visit the galleries and discover Ruinart's savoir-faire, you'll also appreciate the traces left by the artists who have reinterpreted the Maison's universe. A living place, whose heritage is constantly being enriched.