- Colour Red
- Producer Château Ausone
- Region St Emilion
- Drinking 2030 - 2055
- Case size 1x75cl
- Available Now
2021 - Ch Ausone 1er Grand Cru Classé St Emilion - 1x75cl
- Colour Red
- Producer Château Ausone
- Region St Emilion
- Drinking 2030 - 2055
- Case size 1x75cl
- Available Now
Select pricing type
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Goedhuis, April 2022, Score: 97-98
St Emilion’s most historic estate expresses its great terroir of limestone and calcareous clay to absolute perfection. A blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot, with an array of wild hedgerow fruits and black forest gâteau. It is extraordinarily layered, poised and yet lively at the same time. The generosity of the Merlot fruit is supported by the energy and purity of the Cabernet Franc, which gives additional grip and a noticeable lift of fresh acidity. This wine has so much potential and great class.
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Neal Martin, April 2022, Score: 93-95
The 2021 Ausone was picked on September 30 for the Merlot and October 4–6 for the Cabernet Franc, with a higher percentage of Cabernet Franc because some of the Merlot was deselected into the Chapelle. Matured in 90% new oak, this has a fragrant and floral bouquet, more iris than violet, revealing a hint of seaweed in the background. The palate is well-defined, quite strict and focused, certainly one of the more mineral-driven Ausones that I have encountered at this stage. The limestone terroir is evident on the finish. Again, this is a little leaner and less flamboyant than recent vintages. Having tasted Ausone at this prenatal stage for over 20 years, I don’t find the thrilling "drive” or the pyrotechnics of the 2001, 2010, 2016 or 2019. Yet this Ausone is compelling in its own uncompromising way, and I wouldn't want it any different. Drink 2026 - 2050
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Antonio Galloni, April 2022, Score: 93-95
The 2021 Ausone could turn out to be one of the wines of the vintage on the Right Bank. It shows terrific balance, with just enough mid-palate sweetness and texture to fill out the layers. To be sure the 2021 is an understated Ausone, but all the elements are so nicely balanced. Red/purplish berry fruit, pomegranate, spice and mocha are pushed forward. The blend is 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot, with the Merlot more in evidence today while the Franc is felt mostly in the wine's finish. Rose petal, cinnamon and blood orange add an exotic flourish. Drink 2036-2061
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Wine Advocate, April 2022, Score: 97-100
A blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot, the 2021 Ausone is a strong candidate for the title of wine of the vintage. Wafting from the glass with aromas of wild blueberries and raspberries mingled with rose petals, violets, exotic spices, vine smoke and blood orange, it's full-bodied, seamless and sensual, with a satiny attack that segues into a deep, layered mid-palate of breathtaking precision and intensity without weight. Built around bright acids and ultra-refined tannins and concluding with a resonant, perfumed finish, this profound young Ausone represents the essence of this great limestone terroir. I am not in the habit of drinking six-month-old Bordeaux cask samples, but this is one wine that would have sorely tempted me to make an exception to that rule if my appointment at the estate hadn't been one of the first of the day!
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Matthew Jukes, April 2022, Score: 19+
This is a wonderfully suave and cultured Ausone with a quietness and composure that is compelling. The nose is floral and slightly spicy over a core of classic Ausone wild red and black fruit and it is delivered sotte voce with the palate following in a similar vein. The finish is as civilised as it gets with discreet levels of tannins hidden beneath the flowing crimson gown of fruit. It seems so calm and restrained that you wonder where the classic Ausone power and majesty is to be found and the answer is on the nose. If you don’t spend some time on the perfume, you will miss everything – the whole story, the plot line, the set-up, the truth. While the finale will happen in a couple of decades time, the cast is complete. If you read the statistics above, just as in any situation then you might conclude that this is a powerful, oaky, concentrated wine. This could not be further from the truth – it is sensational and as considered, calm and sophisticated as any the very finest in vintage.
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Wine Cellar Insider, April 2022, Score: 96-98
Underbrush, smoke, cigar wrapper, espresso, spice, dark cocoa, flowers and the strong sensation of crushed rocks and stones tossed into the Atlantic ocean create the the enticing bouquet. On the palate, the wine is medium/full-bodied, elegant, polished and chalky with layers of sweet, ripe, earthy, red pit fruits, salty tannins, herbs dark chocolate. There is length, minerality and complexity on the mid-palate and a vibrancy to the red fruits with a strong crushed rock influence in the finish. This is a serious candidate for the wine of the vintage. Made from a blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot,12.8% ABV, pH 3.6. The harvest took place from September 30 - October 6. The yields were 30 hectoliters per hectare. Only 1,200 cases were produced this year. Drink from 2028-2065.
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Jane Anson, TYPE1 Desc, Score: 95
Violet edging, jewel red depths. There is austerity on the tannins here, but also great depths through the palate, with controlled but juicy loganberry and raspberry fruits, and waves of saffron, creamy red-fruit puree, crushed rock, cold ash and salt-cracker salinity. Subdued, with hidden power and complexity. A tough year for this stable of wines - or rather proof of their exceptionally high standards, making a half production of Simard, no Haut Simard, tiny amounts of Fonbel and almost certainly no Moulin St Georges. The last year that Ausone will be recorded as a Premier Grand Cru Classé A, before publication of the new ranking in September 2022. Harvest September 30 to October 6, 100% new oak. In conversion to organic farming since 2020, Philippe Baillarguet cellar master. Average vine age 55 years.
Producer
Château Ausone
Known the world over for its magnificent terroir, Château Ausone is located at the core of St. Emilion at the top of a south facing hillside. It is here where one can breathe in the spectacular views over the Dordogne Valley. Breathing in to prevent a heart attack may not be such a bad idea either as its steep, slippery and ancient cobbled one-lane road is absolutely frightening. But after reaching its heights, one is trans...Read more
Known the world over for its magnificent terroir, Château Ausone is located at the core of St. Emilion at the top of a south facing hillside. It is here where one can breathe in the spectacular views over the Dordogne Valley. Breathing in to prevent a heart attack may not be such a bad idea either as its steep, slippery and ancient cobbled one-lane road is absolutely frightening. But after reaching its heights, one is transported to calm serenity by its cathedral-like hushed presence and of course its profound and silky wines.Ausone takes its name from the Roman poet Ausonius who supposedly owned vineyards around St. Emilion many years ago, and although he has long departed another creator has taken his place. Since the mid 1990s, the meticulous and thorough Alain Vauthier has been in charge of this historic estate. No expense has been spared in helping him create the most alluring wines possible. Notably modern in style, they are rich and clean with nuances of fine new oak barrels and opulent fruit. Despite his success, the same problem remains - very little wine. Its vineyard area measures less than 1/5 the size of neighbouring Cheval Blanc.Read less
Region
St Emilion
South of Pomerol lies the medieval, perched village of St Emilion. Surrounding St Emilion are vines that produce round, rich and often hedonistic wines. Despite a myriad of soil types, two main ones dominate - the gravelly, limestone slopes that delve down to the valley from the plateau and the valley itself which is comprised of limestone, gravel, clay and sand. Despite St Emilion's popularity today, it was not until the 1980s to early 1990s that attention was brought to this region. Robert Parker, the famous wine critic, began reviewing their Merlot-dominated wines and giving them hefty scores. The rest is history as they say. Similar to the Médoc, there is a classification system in place which dates from 1955 and outlines several levels of quality. These include its regional appellation of St Emilion, St Emilion Grand Cru, St Emilion Grand Cru Classé and St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé, which is further divided into "A" (Ausone and Cheval Blanc) and "B" (including Angélus, Canon, Figeac and a handful of others). To ensure better accuracy, the classification is redone every 10 years enabling certain châteaux to be upgraded or downgraded depending on on the quality of their more recent vintages.
