Ausone

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Left. Alain Vauthier, the man behind the majestic Ausone. Right, an entrance to wine paradise.

Ausone is majestically situated on one of the high hills surrounding the Saint-Émilion village, with Belair-Monange as its closest neighbor. You can clearly notice it on the left side of the road as you walk or drive from Saint-Émilion train station to the village.

Ausone 2023 (barrel sample) 98-99p

Tasted in April 2024, the Grand Vin is crafted from a blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot, with an alcohol content of 14%. This blend features the highest proportion of Cabernet Franc seen in recent years. While the 2023 Ausone is characterized by delicacy, it should not be underestimated, as it possesses a strong underlying power and intensity beneath its elegant, refined, and sophisticated core. The wine presents an incredibly seductive floral aroma, particularly reminiscent of violets, along with great complexity, sublime structure, and excellent acidity. The generous fruit flavors are perfectly balanced with oak, and the finish is exceptionally long-lasting. It is difficult to determine whether it surpasses the 2022 vintage, but that will become clear after bottling.

Ausone 2022 (barrel sample) 99-100p

I tasted this wine in April 2023. A blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc. This wine is both powerful and graceful at the same time. It is vibrant, multilayered, and has excellent 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. This wine offers an intensely aromatic nose of cherries and cocoa, a distinguished and silky palate, and excellent complexity and length. It is multilayered and impeccably balanced. It's an impressive effort for the vintage.

Ausone 2019 99p

Tasted in October 2024. It displays both power and elegance, revealing remarkable complexity along with an impressive mid-palate and a velvety texture. It adheres to the tongue and leaves a rich, lingering aftertaste. This is a truly 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. The blend is 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. It is powerful, with exceptional fruit, great acidity, sophistication, immense depth and length, and possesses fantastic structure and complexity. Simply exceptional stuff.

Ausone 2016 (barrel sample) 98+p

Tasted in April 2017. A massive wine with a substantial amount of oak, it is stunningly refined and sophisticated, featuring classy elegance, silky fruit, and well-integrated tannin. Outstanding balance and finish. Truly remarkable wine.

Ausone 2015 (barrel sample) 97-98p

I tasted it in April 2016. It is very similar to its one-year-younger brother in every way, but a little shorter in concentration. It is a wine 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 of 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, a firm structure, delicate complexity, and a long finish. It was a charming wine and not affected by new oak.

Ausone 2011 96+p

Tasted in November 2014. It was well-defined on the nose, deep, and aristocratic. Full hammer on everything happening on the palate, which borders on 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 a massive fireworks display of nuances, incredibly sophisticated, with fantastic complexity and enormous length. There is no bodybuilder wine here, nor a wine in the lightweight class. It is a strong contender for getting a maximum rating.

Ausone 1970 90p

I tasted it in February 2020. It has a lovely, ripe nose, nicely put together, with 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, complex, and utterly rich wine with superb balance and a lingering aftertaste. This is a sixty-year-old wine that remains remarkably alive and vibrant.

Ausone 1934 92p

I tasted it in April 2014 during dinner at Domaine de Chevalier. It displayed silky, mature, delicate, and tasty fruit, yet in fine balance with smooth tannins, and the acidity was well pronounced. It's an impressive old wine.

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Link to Wine-Searcher's Chateau Ausone page - click here

An astonishing quality wine from Saint-Emilion and Bordeaux

Ausone

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