I opened a blanc de blanc for three good reasons- (a) I wanted to try it, as I had the champagne and never tried it (b) I wanted to settle the debate above, (c) I said to myself... what the heck? I cooked dinner, I can try something nice

Sadly, I have to side with Gaucho. I was not that impressed. To be honest, I have to note that I had few very good champagne tastings this week (and few, but not many nice bubbles during my EU travel last week), including Franck Bonville and Pierre Paillard. So, my taste was biased, though I don't think it was biased to an extent.
I found the Blanc the Blanc to be very good, but not a good return for the price range. Actually, if I were to go through my old tasting notes, I believe I can easily find two or three champagnes that I found more impressive in the same price range (+/- 10 dollars each direction, maybe even five). I found myself disappointed with the finish (very short), and with the fact that the taste did not develop at all. very strong lime at the beginning (got weaker), but very little of the typical background tastes and balances. Weak on the mineral taste in the background that I usually really like. It was good, but nothing special. Not a bad champagne at all, but there is a certain bar when it comes to Ruinart, especially blanc de blac. This one did not meet the expectations. By lieu of example, as I write the notes- it is five minutes (actually less) since I pour the glass, and the bubbles are almost gone. It did not happen to me in any of the other champagnes tasted this week. Actually, I am a bit disappointed. I had better past experience with Ruinart. I will double check the bottle to see if there are any signs of something unusual. (It has been sitting in proper storage conditions since I purchased it in April 2012, so I cannot assume it is a storage issue)