Ausone is located on one of the high hills in Saint Emilion, with Belair Monange as its closest neighbor.
Left. Alain Vauthier, the man behind the majestic Ausone. Right, An entrance to wine paradise. Ausone 2023 (barrel sample) 98-99p Tasted in April 2024. The Grand Vin is made from a blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot and has an alcohol content of 14%. This blend has the highest percentage of Cabernet Franc in recent years. Although the 2023 Ausone is delicate, it should not be underestimated due to its underlying power and intensity beneath its elegant, finesse-clad, and sophisticated core. The wine has an extremely seductive floral aroma (violets!) with great complexity, sublime structure, and excellent acidity. Huge amounts of fruit perfectly balance the oak. The aftertaste won’t end. It is difficult to say if it is better than the 2022s, but we will know that after bottling. Ausone 2022 (barrel sample) 99-100p I tasted this wine in April 2023. 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc. This wine is both powerful and graceful at the same time. It is vibrant, multilayered, and has great acidity. It is massive, refined, and sophisticated, with enormous depth and density. It has a long aftertaste that won’t end. This is a future wine legend, for sure. Ausone 2021 97p Tasted in October 2024. It displayed an intensely aromatic nose of cherries and cocoa, a distinguished and silky palate, and excellent complexity and length. This wine was multilayered and impeccably balanced. It's an impressive effort for the vintage. Ausone 2019 99p Tasted in October 2024. It had power and elegance at the same time, showcasing extraordinary complexity and an impressive mid-palate with a velvety structure. It clung to the tongue and left a rich, lasting aftertaste. It's a totally sublime effort. Ausone 2018 (barrel sample) 99p Tasted in April 2019. 60% Merlot + 40% Cabernet Franc. This wine moves around like a giant with ballerina steps, powerful yet elegant. Massive, refined, and sophisticated, with enormous depth and density. A legend in the making!
Ausone 2017 (barrel sample) 98-99p
I tasted it in April 2018. This property wasn't affected by frost and produced an absolute blockbuster of wine. It is 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. It is powerful, with exceptional fruit, great acidity, sophistication, and immense depth and length. It has fantastic structure and complexity.
Ausone 2016 (barrel sample) 98+p
Tasted in April 2017. Immense wine with a healthy amount of oak, stunningly refined and sophisticated, classy elegance, silky fruit, and tannin. Outstanding balance and finish. Truly remarkable wine.
Ausone 2015 (barrel sample) 97-98p
I tasted it in April 2016. It is very similar in everything to its one-year-old younger brother but a little shorter in concentration. It is of spectacular quality.
Ausone 2014 (barrel sample) 95+p
I tasted it in April 2015. It is packed with sweet fruit and oak, very concentrated, complex, and great length. Excellent complexity and structure. Fabulous stuff.
Ausone 2013 (barrel sample) 92-93p
I tasted it in March 2014. The bad weather conditions in this vintage didn't allow Bordeaux winemakers to make something spectacular. It was intense and concentrated, with ripe blackberries, firm structure, delicate complexity, and length. It was a charming wine and not affected by new oak.
Ausone 2011 96+p
Tasted in November 2014. Well-defined on the nose, deep, and aristocratic. Full hammer on everything happening on the palate, which borders brutality; what richness and length. Animal wine of the highest quality. Unlimited life span!
Ausone 2010 (barrel sample) 98-99p
Tasted in April 2011. Plenty of chocolate and dark cherries, silky tannins. Sensual, fleshy, impeccably sophisticated, and mega long on the palate with fat-ripe tannins and perfect balance. Awesome stuff.
Ausone 2000 98+p
I tasted this wine in April 2003. It was massive fireworks of nuances, incredibly sophisticated, with fantastic complexity and enormous length. There is no body-builder wine here or a wine in the light-weight class! It is a strong contender for getting a maximum rating in the future.
Ausone 1970 90p
I tasted it in February 2020. It has a lovely ripe nose, nicely put together, polished fruit, and a tasty, delicate, smooth finish. It is a well-preserved and drinkable wine.
Ausone 1955 97p
I tasted it in March 2015 during dinner at Domaine de Chevalier. It was a spectacular, truffy, utterly complex wine with superb richness, balance, and aftertaste. It is a sixty-year-old wine, very much alive and kicking.
Ausone 1934 92p
I tasted it in April 2014 during dinner at Domaine de Chevalier. It displayed silky, mature, delicate, tasty fruit yet in fine balance with silky tannin, and the acidity was well-pronounced. It's an impressive old wine.