Remembering Frédéric Panaïotis of Ruinart

Beloved Champagne maker died suddenly on June 15

Champagne lovers know Ruinart Blanc de Blanc and Rosé as deliciously refined and elegant bubblies. Dom Ruinart and Dom Ruinart Rosé, the house’s top wines, are sublime. Blanc Singulair, the first new cuvée from Ruinart in decades, showed innovation in the face of climate change.

The wine world was saddened to learn that Frédéric Panaïotis, the chef de cave who crafted these wines for 18 years, passed away suddenly on June 15. He was 60.

“Frédéric Panaïotis was a truly unique personality. Highly rational and deeply sensitive at the same time. Passionate, curious, committed, a man of science and knowledge, guided by immense humility. He embodied the values of Ruinart. His unique vision will continue to shape our Maison for decades to come. We will miss him deeply,” Maison Ruinart President Frédéric Dufour said in a news release issued by the winery.

I met Panaïotis when I visited Ruinart in 2007, shortly after he took over the top winemaking role. I have three lasting memories of that visit: the stunning chalk cellars (crayères) carved by the Romans, the outstanding wines, and the joy with which the young cellar master shared his love for the land and its wines. I interacted with him most recently over Zoom two years ago after Ruinart released the Singulair, a 100-percent chardonnay produced in warmer years, to reflect the ways the warming planet is transforming Champagne. Here is the piece I wrote about Singulair for The Washington Post, available through a gift link that should bypass the paywall.

Here’s more from the Maison Ruinart news release:

Born in 1964, Frédéric Panaïotis spent much of his childhood among his grandparents’ vineyards in Champagne. He loved harvesting Chardonnay grapes with them, and it was through those early moments in the vineyard that he first discovered the world of wine.

He went on to study Viticulture and Oenology at the Institut National Agronomique ParisGrignon. He later obtained the National Diploma in Oenology from the École Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Montpellier in 1988. His early career took him between France and California before he returned to Champagne in 1991 to join the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne. He later worked at Maison Veuve Clicquot and joined Ruinart in 2007 as Cellar Master.

Over the past 18 years, Frédéric has helped shape the Maison’s wines through his thoughtful and innovative approach. Chardonnay was the common thread running through his work, a grape he explored with nuance, always seeking to express its elegance and freshness with clarity and restraint.

Frédéric oversaw the blending of all Ruinart cuvées, from the non-vintage wines to the prestige champagnes Dom Ruinart and Dom Ruinart Rosé. Beyond the wines themselves, he was a strong advocate for sustainable practices. He played a central role in several significant developments: the introduction of the second skin case, the adoption of vitiforestry in the vineyards, the return to cork ageing for Dom Ruinart, the creation of a historical œnothèque at 4 RUE DES CRAYERES, and the launch of Ruinart Blanc Singulier, a cuvée conceived to reflect the changing climate through the lens of Chardonnay.

With scientific precision and deep respect for both nature and people, his work left a meaningful mark on Ruinart. One that will continue to guide us.