- Colour Red
- Producer Château Ausone
- Region St Emilion
- Drinking 2030 - 2048
- Case size 6x75cl
- Available En Primeur
2023 - Ch Ausone St Emilion - 6x75cl
- Colour Red
- Producer Château Ausone
- Region St Emilion
- Drinking 2030 - 2048
- Case size 6x75cl
- Available En Primeur
Need help? Call +44 (0)20 7793 7900 or email wine@goedhuiswaddesdon.com.
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Neal Martin, April 2024, Score: 96-98
The 2023 Ausone was picked September 14 to 30 and matured for a planned 20 months. It has a wonderful bouquet that is very floral in style and perfectly controlled, perhaps more refined than the 2022 (which incidentally had a degree more in alcohol). The palate is medium-bodied with a silky smooth entry, finely tuned with impressive mineralité. It just gently "rolls out" on the languorous finish. This is a more understated Ausone compared to recent vintages, but it exudes sophistication and could easily surpass the Vauthiers' 2022. Drink 2028-2060.
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Wine Advocate, April 2024, Score: 95-97
The 2023 Ausone reveals an incipient bouquet of violet, smoke, dark wild berries, spices and cherries, all beautifully interwoven with creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with a rich chassis of tannin, it has a vibrant core of fruit and a long, mineral, vanillin-inflected finish. At 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot, this ranks alongside the 2014 vintage as one of the most Cabernet-dominant Ausone vintages of recent years, and it will mature for 20 months in new oak barrels.
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Antonio Galloni, April 2024, Score: 96-98
The 2023 Ausone is a powerful, heady wine. Dark, layered and explosive, the 2023 possesses tremendous depth and tons of sheer resonance, something that becomes increasingly apparent with time in the glass. Strong saline notes frame a core of dark-toned fruit, mocha, spice, new leather, pencil shavings and lavender. The savory, mineral-drenched finish is eternal. All the 2023 needs is time. Readers lucky enough to own it should be thrilled. Drink 2033-2073.
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James Suckling, April 2024, Score: 98-99
I don't think I have tasted an Ausone like this. The purity of fruit and fluidity is so primary, like perfectly picked grapes with their juice. Then there is citrus freshness. It's muscular, with toned tannins that caress the palate and give a seamless finish. This really could push the boundaries for the character of Ausone, in the way of finesse with structure. Watch it. 60% cabernet franc and 40% merlot.
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Goedhuis Waddesdon, April 2024, Score: 98-99
This is a year where Ausone has really come into its own. 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot, the aroma rocks back and forth between bright red cranberry fruit and black plums, blackcurrant leaf and fresh violets. On the palate, chalky tannins and an intense concentration of fruit are balanced beautifully by a stream of salinity that provides freshness on the finish. No doubt this is a big, broad-shouldered wine, but it is still more than capable of performing the splits and will hold its form for a couple more decades at least.
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.
