|
Red Bordeaux |
1998 |
Ausone
|
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£2,550 |
|
|
98 |
|
Red Bordeaux |
2006 |
Ausone
[US Slip Labels] |
2 |
Bottle |
|
75cl |
£395 |
WINE SPECTATOR
93 / 100 points
Cedar, new wood and crushed blackberry and raspberry aromas follow through to a palate of vanilla, berry and blackberry character. Balanced and modern, with lots of fruit. Lively, with bright acidity. Best after 2014. James Suckling, Wine Spectator 2006
JANCIS ROBINSON
17 / 20 points
Exceptionally deep purple - no sign of age! Yet on the nose it seems rather developed. Odd! A bit of kirsch, a bit of sweat. You could think of approaching this in the next few years at least compared with some in this flight. But it's awfully hard work at the moment. Pronounced greenness on the finish.www.jancisrobinson.com, 20 Jan 2010
ROBERT PARKER
98 / 100 points
One of the handful of candidates for wine of the vintage is the 2006 Ausone. In fact, while tasting it, I was thinking, is there any estate in Bordeaux that, since 1998, has made as many legendary wines as proprietor Alain Vauthier has at his beloved Ausone? Boasting an inky/blue/purple color as well as an extraordinary, precise bouquet of minerals, flowers, blueberry liqueur, and black currants, this wine possesses fabulous fruit and great intensity, but what makes it so special is its precision, focus, and almost ethereal lightness despite substantial flavor intensity and depth. It is a ballerina with density and power. The abundant noticeable tannin is sweet and, not surprisingly, very finely grained. It should be cellared for a decade, and consumed over the following half century. Robert Parker, Wine Advocate # 181
|
|
98 |
|
Red Bordeaux |
2007 |
Ausone
|
1 |
Bottle |
|
75cl |
£370£325 |
The 2007 Ausone is a candidate for one of the wines of the vintage, rivaling Pavie and Lafite Rothschild. Its deep ruby/purple hue is accompanied by a beautiful nose of spring flowers, raspberries, black currants, and crushed rocks. The wine is dense, medium to full-bodied, and pure with sweet tannin as well as a surprisingly evolved, forward style. It is one of the few Ausones I have tasted that can be drunk with great pleasure at this stage, yet it promises to evolve for two decades.
|
|
94 |
|
Red Bordeaux |
2012 |
Ausone
|
1 |
Case |
6 |
150cl |
£3,900 |
One can’t say enough about the amazing job that Alain Vauthier and his daughter have done at this historic property on the decomposed limestone slopes of St.-Emilion. Not surprisingly, the 2012 Ausone is one of the candidates for the wine of the vintage. Inky purple in color, with notes of crushed rocks, spring flowers and blueberry and black raspberry, the wine grows on the palate, offering up amazing concentration. There is no heaviness or cloying characteristics. Pure, rich, full-bodied and, although accessible, it is capable of lasting 30 or more years. This will be one of the profound 2012s, following what Haut Brion and Mission Haut Brion did in Pessac-Léognan. Drink it 2022-2050+. 96+ points – Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #218, April 2015)
|
|
96 |
|
Red Bordeaux |
2013 |
Ausone
|
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£1,700 |
Probably the wine of the vintage, once again. Only 9,000 bottles of the 2013 Ausone were produced, as crop size was 50% of normal. However, proprietor Alain Vauthier and his daughter certainly have proven a truly great wine can be produced in some of the most trying conditions Bordeaux wine producers have had to deal with over the last 20 years. Yields were only 22 hectoliters per hectare and the final blend was 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. The haunting aromas of wet rocks, spring flowers, blue and black fruits and forest floor are followed by an incredibly dense, attractive wine with sweet tannin, stunning concentration and texture, medium body and a depth that is essentially unreal in a vintage such as this. The wine is a superb example of great winemaking under the most difficult circumstances. Unlike more recent Ausones, this should be reasonably drinkable in 5-6 years and yet be capable of lasting 25-30. Wine Advocate.August, 2014
|
|
95 |
|
Red Bordeaux |
2013 |
Ausone
|
1 |
Case |
6 |
150cl |
£3,400 |
Probably the wine of the vintage, once again. Only 9,000 bottles of the 2013 Ausone were produced, as crop size was 50% of normal. However, proprietor Alain Vauthier and his daughter certainly have proven a truly great wine can be produced in some of the most trying conditions Bordeaux wine producers have had to deal with over the last 20 years. Yields were only 22 hectoliters per hectare and the final blend was 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. The haunting aromas of wet rocks, spring flowers, blue and black fruits and forest floor are followed by an incredibly dense, attractive wine with sweet tannin, stunning concentration and texture, medium body and a depth that is essentially unreal in a vintage such as this. The wine is a superb example of great winemaking under the most difficult circumstances. Unlike more recent Ausones, this should be reasonably drinkable in 5-6 years and yet be capable of lasting 25-30. Wine Advocate.August, 2014
|
|
95 |
|
Red Bordeaux |
2014 |
Ausone
|
1 |
Case |
3 |
150cl |
£2,050 |
Rating
95
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2022 - 2045
Reviewed by
Neal Martin
Issue Date
31st Mar 2017
Source
Interim End of March 2017, The Wine Advocate
The 2014 Ausone, a blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot, was matured in barrel for 20 months with 85% new oak. Compared to the Chapelle d'Ausone, this Grand Vin demanded gentle coaxing from the glass. It eventually unfurls to reveal mineral-rich red berry fruit, oregano, orange blossom and later on blackcurrant winegums. It displays superb delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin. There is an almost sorbet-like freshness conferred upon this Saint Emilion by the growing season, very harmonious and poised with one of the most precise and tensile finishes that you will find this vintage. One of the stars of the vintage, this may merit a higher score with bottle age. This is a great success.
|
|
95 |
|
Red Bordeaux |
2015 |
Chapelle d'Ausone
|
3 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£890 |
|
|
95 |
|
Red Bordeaux |
2015 |
Chapelle d'Ausone
|
1 |
Case |
3 |
150cl |
£890 |
Rating
94
Release Price
NA
Drink Date
2022 - 2040
Reviewed by
Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Issue Date
21st Feb 2018
Source
Interim Issue Mid-February 2018, The Wine Advocate
A second label produced mainly from the younger vines at Château Ausone, the 2015 Chapelle d'Ausone is a blend of 45% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in French oak barrels, 85% new, for 20 months. Deep garnet-purple in color, it appears broody to begin, offering glimpses at black berry preserves and crème de cassis notions with nuances of cigar box, Chinese five spice, menthol and chocolate box. Full-bodied, firm and grainy with a taut structure and packed with youthful, muscular fruit, it finishes on a compelling mineral note.
|
|
94 |
|
Red Bordeaux |
2015 |
Ausone
|
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£3,565 |
Very intense and aromatic Ausone with rose petals, fresh herbs, dark berries and raspberries. Full body and great intensity and brightness. Purity and focus reminiscent of crushed grapes. Such beauty, greatness and elegance to this wine. Goes on for minutes. Needs four or five years to come completely together but so long and beautiful. Try drinking in 2021.
Score: 99
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Maturity: 2021+01 February 2018
A mindbinder of a wine with pure fruit and so much fine tannins and mineral character. It’s hyper tight and super polished. The palate starts off slowly and ends with a bang. Amazing endless finish. What an energy.
Score: 100
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 01 April 2016
|
|
99 |
|
Red Bordeaux |
2016 |
Chapelle d'Ausone
|
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£825 |
A blend of 56% Cabernet Franc, 22% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, the deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Chapelle d'Ausone sings of black raspberries, kirsch and plum preserves with hints of unsmoked cigars, pencil lead, lavender and chocolate box plus a waft of garrigue. Medium-bodied and fantastically elegant in the mouth, the elegant red and black fruit layers are beautifully framed by firm yet fine-grained tannins and lovely freshness, finishing long and minerally. 2020 - 2040
Score: 94+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (Interim No), November 2018
The 2016 Chapelle d’Ausone has a pure, seductive bouquet, offering scents of black cherries, cassis and violet petals that soar from the glass while maintaining wonderful precision. Perhaps compared to the 2016 La Clotte, the new oak (80%) will need longer to fully assimilate, but there is great density and grip to this Chapelle d’Ausone, and the very long and quite intense finish bodes well for the future. One of the best ever made. Drink 2022-2045
Score: 94 Neal Martin, vinous.com (Jan 2019), January 2019
The 2016 Chapelle d'Ausone has the highest proportion of Cabernet Franc at 56% this year, complemented by 22% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Sauvignon. Matured in 80% new oak, it has a very floral, incense and rose petal-scented bouquet that blossoms from the glass. There is an underlying mineral vein here, but it may take a few years to come out. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, crisp acidity, cohesive with good backbone, with fine salinité on the finish. It is just a fabulous Deuxième Vin.
Drink Date 2022 - 2045
Score: 93/95 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (230), April 2017
|
|
94 |
|
Red Bordeaux |
2016 |
Ausone
|
1 |
Case |
6 |
75cl |
£2,990 |
The 2016 Ausone was mightily impressive from barrel. Bottled in July 2018, it has a very intense bouquet of black cherries, cassis, cedar and light pencil box aromas emanating from the 50% Cabernet Franc. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, filigreed tannin that belies the density and structure of this Ausone. There is something agile about Alain and Pauline Vauthier's wine this year. Yet the wine also reveals considerable depth and concentration, gently but insistently gripping the palate with a touch of white pepper and Earl Grey toward the persistent finish. There is not a hair out of place on this Ausone – one of the finest produced in recent years. Drink 2026-2070
Score: 99 Neal Martin, vinous.com (Jan 2019), January 2019
The 2016 Ausone is a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc picked 10-14 October and 14-19 October, respectively, at 40 hectoliters per hectare. It is matured in 80% new oak with a light toasting, a move that Alain and Pauline Vauthier have made in recent years just to lessen the impact of the oak. There is a palpable...stateliness about the Ausone this year. It is extraordinarily pure and articulates its terroir as well as any vintage that I can remember over the last 20-odd years. It is not as flamboyant as other Saint Emilions, more correct and precise. The palate is very elegant and precise. I adore the exquisite balance of this Ausone, the precision and fineness of the tannin, the effortlessness that it conveys. This is classy and sophisticated, satin-like in texture with a long and sensual finish. Not an Ausone that is going to blaze across the sky, this is a cerebral, intellectual Ausone that will entrance for many years to come.
Drink Date 2022 - 2070
Score: 98/100 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (230), April 2017
The 2016 Ausone is a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it's quite closed at first glance, slowly unfurling to reveal the most incredible perfume of violets, chocolate-covered cherries, warm black plums, Black Forest cake and roasted nuts with suggestions of charcuterie, wood smoke and cedar chest. The medium to full-bodied palate offers a quiet intensity of flavors that grow in the mouth to unveil layer after layer of black and red berries intertwined with beautiful savory notions framed by firm yet velvety tannins, finishing with epic length and amazing energy. It practically tingles on the palate! 2022 - 2066
Score: 99 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (Interim No), November 2018
Very exotic and fascinating with dark-berry, floral and violet aromas that follow though to a full body that is tight and polished with ultra-fine and driven tannins. They really are amazing. A wine with such strength and finesse at the same time. Confident and real Ausone. A blend of 50 per cent merlot and 50 per cent cabernet franc. Better after 2025.
Score: 98 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (223), February 2019
This is one of the most subtle and ethereal Ausones I have encountered in a while. It’s a full-bodied wine, yet one that’s very refined in texture, all the way to the extremely long finish. Shows real dignity and character. A throwback to the great years of the 1950s.
Score: 97/98 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2017
A regal, soaring wine, the 2016 Ausone is one of the wines of the vintage. Cabernet Franc aromatics meld into a core of beautifully layered, exquisite fruit. The flavors are bright, lifted and wonderfully focused throughout. Sweet red berry, blood orange, jasmine and sweet spice notes build into a super-expressive, silky finish supported by bright acids and vibrant salinity. Stunningly beautiful and precise, Ausone is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine.
Score: 96/99 Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, April 2017
|
|
99 |
