Vignoble des Agaises · Ruffus Chardonnay Brut

Vignoble des Agaises

When they embarked on their adventure in 2002, Raymond Leroy (a wine merchant from Binche) and his partners Etienne Delbeke, Michel Wanty, Joël Hugé (the Belgians) and Thierry Gobillard (from Champagne) had no idea of the success that awaited them and the emulation they would inspire throughout Wallonia. Almost every year, the Agaises Vineyard increases its planted area (40 hectares in 2024), but today it is permanently (definitively?) outstripped by its great rival in Hainaut, the Domaine du Chant d'Eole. Between these two, it's a war of bubbles - a merciless war!


Ruffus Chardonnay Brut

‘Ruffus’ is the name of the first lord who ruled over the lands of Estinnes in the 12th century. It was at a place called ‘Les Agaises’, on a south-facing hillside rich in limestone, that the founders of the estate chose to plant their vineyard.

Chardonnay Brut is the estate's flagship cuvée. With a low sugar content of 6 g/l (close to an extra-brut), it is aged on slats for 12 to 15 months. The back label specifies the date of bottling (Lot xx), from which one year must be subtracted to determine the vintage. It is released for sale one to one and a half years later.