Château Ausone 2015
Review of the Estate
Chateau Ausone is a Bordeaux wine from Saint-Émilion appellation, one of only four wines, to be ranked Premier Grand Cru Classè (A) in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine. Chateau Ausone is located on the Right Bank of France's Bordeaux wine region in the Gironde department, close to the town of Saint-Émilion.
Chateau Ausone also produce a second wine named Chapelle d'Ausone.
Placed on the western edge of 11th century village Saint-Émilion, with elevated vineyards facing south on steep terraces in ideal situation, Chateau Ausone takes its name from Decimius Magnus Ausonius (310-395 AD), a statesman and poet from Bordeaux who owned about 100 acres (0.40 km2) of vineyard. It is believed by some that Chateau Ausone is on the foundations of his villa.
The modern estate can be dated to the 18th century, when it was owned by Jean Cantenat. Later, under the ownership of the Lafargue family,Chateau Ausone was inherited by Edouard Dubois who steered the chateau through the difficulties of the late 19th century, and in 1916 added the adjacent Chateau Belair to their estate. The chateaux were run separately, although both age their wine in the Ausone cellars, caves in the limestone cliffs beneath the town of Saint-Émilion. After Dubois died in 1921, his widow Heylette Dubois-Challon and Dubois' children of a previous marriage who married into the Vauthier family took control over Chateau Ausone.
Despite being one of the great names of Bordeaux, Chateau Ausone fell into decline until Pascal Delbeck was appointed winemaker in 1976.
For several years Chateau Ausone was jointly owned by the Dubois-Challon and Vauthier families. Alain Vauthier became managing director of Chateau Ausone, while Heylette Dubois-Challon won the right to live on the chateau until her death in 2003.
Michel Rolland was appointed consultant oenologist in 1995.
Vineyard
Surface area: 17.3 acres
Grape Varieties: 50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Franc
Average age of vines: 50 - 55 years
Density of plantation: 6,000 - 7,8000 vines per hectare
Average yields: 35 hectoliters per hectare
Average cases produced: 1,800 per year
Plateau of maturity: 5 - 100 years
Château Ausone 2015 Reviews / Tasting Notes
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate
Point Score: 99
Composed of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot aged in French oak barrels, 85% new, for 20 months, the 2015 Ausone features a deep garnet-purple color and comes bounding out of the glass with expressive plum preserves, wild blueberries and cherry pie aromas plus fragrant nuances of roses, licorice, Indian spices, baker's chocolate, new leather and cedar chest plus a touch of underbrush. Big, rich, opulent and full-bodied in the mouth, it is laden with bold blue and black fruits, superbly supported by very firm, very finely grained tannins and wonderfully seamless freshness, finishing with long-lingering exotic spice hints.
James Suckling
Point Score: 100
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.
Antonio Galloni - Vinous
Point Score: 97-100
The 2015 Ausone is the embodiment of class. A seamless, mind-blowing wine, the Ausone boasts extraordinary purity and finesse. The flavors are deep and unctuous throughout, and yet the wine is remarkably vivid. A host of sweet floral notes and exotic spices are fused into the eternal finish. In 2015, Ausone is as good as it gets. Readers who can find the 2015 should not hesitate, as it is truly magnificent. All I can tell readers is that it took the most extraordinary discipline to spit this wine during my tasting. It is every bit that profound. The 2015 is 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot that will spend 20 months in French oak, 85% new. The Merlot was brought in between September 29 and October 2, while the Franc came in between October 8 and 10.