Chateau Ausone 2018

  • 100 Decanter
  • 100 Robert
    Parker
  • 99 James
    Suckling
  • 99 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 98 Wine
    Enthusiast
3.7 Very Good (6)
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Chateau Ausone  2018  Front Bottle Shot
Chateau Ausone  2018  Front Bottle Shot Chateau Ausone  2018  Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2018

Size
750ML

ABV
14%

Features
Collectible

Your Rating

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Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

Château Ausone is the jewel of the estate, a masterpiece of subtle elegance. Like a cathedral, it initially presents a big, powerful, mineral profile of Cabernet Franc.

Professional Ratings

  • 100
    This is deep and ripped, coming out you like a powerhouse, then it stops, tiptoes away, then rises up to slowly stretch out through the palate, displaying incredible tension and length. Graphite, flint, earth, crushed stone, blackberry, cassis and a juicy salinity from the scrape of limestone. Pretty clear this is going to power through the next 30-40 years effortlessly. And it just keeps going. Clearly survived the drought of the summer without so much as breaking a sweat. 3.6pH. Average age of the vines is 52 years old. A yield of 38hl/ha.
  • 100
    The 2018 Ausone is a blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple in color, rather predictably, the nose is almost completely shut-down on first sniff, taking considerable aeration to begin to reveal its jaw-dropping perfume of ripe black cherries, wild blueberries and plum preserves, leading to suggestions of candied violets, molten chocolate, licorice and crushed rocks with subtle cedar and pencil lead hints. The medium to full-bodied palate (14.5% alcohol) is so tightly wound and nuanced at this stage, it requires a lot of focus unravel all that is going on here. In short: a lot. The ripe, rich, black and blue fruit layers eventually give way to the beautifully cerebral earthy/minerally subtext, carried by fantastically well-knit tension, delivering an incredibly long, foundation-shaking finish. If the earth doesn't move when you drink this, you're probably not doing it right.
  • 99

    Aromas of blackberry, black cherry, licorice, iodine and dried shitake mushroom. Opens and changes to violets and lavender. Full-bodied and tight with creamy and refined tannins that run the length of the wine and takes you down into the depth of the wine. Needs years to open yet it’s already so gorgeous to taste. Try after 2027.

  • 99

    Ratcheting up the intensity, the 2018 Château Ausone has an essence of limestone-like character as well as thrilling notes of blackberries, black raspberries, white flowers, truffle, forest floor, and graphite. Possessing full-bodied richness, a deep, beautifully concentrated mid-palate, ample tannins, and a great finish, this is a powerful, layered Ausone that’s going to need 5-7 years of bottle age but should knock your socks off over the following 25+ years. The 2018 is a blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot, brought up in a mix of new and used barrels. Barrel Sample: 96-99.

  • 98

    The perfumes of this wine just pour from the glass. They measure up to the promise of the black tannins and dark, dense fruits, the monumental structure and juicy black-plum flavors. The whole ethos of this wine is towards long-term aging to great power and intensity for the future. Drink from 2028. Cellar Selection

Other Vintages

2022
  • 98 James
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  • 98 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 96 Robert
    Parker
  • 96 Decanter
2021
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2020
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2019
  • 100 James
    Suckling
  • 98 Jeb
    Dunnuck
  • 98 Robert
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2017
  • 98 Robert
    Parker
  • 97 Decanter
  • 97 James
    Suckling
  • 96 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 96 Jeb
    Dunnuck
2016
  • 99 Robert
    Parker
  • 99 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 99 Decanter
  • 98 James
    Suckling
  • 98 Jeb
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2015
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    Dunnuck
  • 100 Wine
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2012
  • 98 James
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  • 96 Robert
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  • 95 Wine
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2011
  • 97 Wine
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  • 95 Robert
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2010
  • 98 James
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  • 98 Wine
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  • 97 Wine
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    Parker
2009
  • 100 James
    Suckling
  • 100 Wine
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  • 98 Robert
    Parker
2006
  • 98 Robert
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  • 93 Wine
    Spectator
2005
  • 100 Wine
    Spectator
  • 100 Robert
    Parker
  • 99 Wine
    Enthusiast
2003
  • 100 Robert
    Parker
2002
  • 95 Robert
    Parker
  • 92 Wine
    Spectator
2001
  • 98 Robert
    Parker
  • 95 Wine
    Spectator
2000
  • 98 Robert
    Parker
  • 98 Wine
    Enthusiast
  • 97 Wine
    Spectator
  • 96 Wine &
    Spirits
1999
  • 95 Robert
    Parker
  • 94 Wine
    Spectator
1989
  • 92 Robert
    Parker
1983
  • 90 Wine
    Spectator
1982
  • 93 Wine
    Spectator
Chateau Ausone

Chateau Ausone

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Chateau Ausone, France
Chateau Ausone Winery Image
The estate was founded by two families, the Chatonnets and the Cantenants. In more recent times, for two centuries, Chateau Ausone was the property of the Vauthier and the Dubois-Challon families. Today it belongs to Alain Vauthier and his sister Catherine, who bought their aunt Hélyette Dubois-Challon’s share in 1997. Alain Vauthier runs the estate and makes the wine. Since 2005 his daughter Pauline, a qualified oenologist, has been working with him.

The site is exceptional: divided between the limestone plateau and Saint-Emilion’s calcareous clay slope, facing east-south-east and sheltered on its north and west sides, Ausone was one of very few Saint-Emilions to come unscathed through the terrible frosts of February 1956. The 7 hectares of vineyard, lying in a single plot around the chateau, are planted with 55% of Cabernet Franc and 45% of Merlot. The vines are very old, with an average age of 50 years. Their low yield (33 hectolitres per hectare) in part explains the wine’s concentration and its potential for improving over time.

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One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.

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St-Émilion Wine

Bordeaux, France

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Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.

St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.

Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.

The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.

Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.

FNY520371_2018 Item# 520371

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