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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.7 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 14 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 3/19/2021: A Year Later in Vero...; 3/17/2021-3/21/2021 (Vero Beach): Wasn't 100% sure how this would show as the fill was a bit on the lower side of things, but I think of Ausones as very hearty and I love them and so I figured worth a shot. Wine was great. Great color. Hard to tell there had been any issue with the bottle. Good aged Bordeaux. Still some fruit to it which is amazing after 55 years. Very enjoyable. (2097 views) | | | Tasted by JonnyG on 9/17/2020 & rated 96 points: Bordeaux Night with a Wonderful Mix of Friends New and Old (A suitably spaced tasting room in Los Olivos, CA): My first encounter with this vintage for Ausone. Despite the bottle being in pristine shape and with a very good fill, expectations were very low based on weak professional reviews and the belief that the house was not at its best in this era. To say that the wine outperformed this would be a massive understatement. Sweet red fruit, some truffle, a touch of caramel, tobacco and leather. Plenty of structure. Fine-grained tannins (fully resolved, of course). A few had this as their WOTN. What a treat. (2056 views) | | | Tasted by ShadowIII on 12/14/2019 & rated 85 points: odd nose of wood/cedar chips, modest fruit, died after 30 mins (2120 views) | | | Tasted by wineappreciation on 10/25/2019 & rated 93 points: Burnt caramel, candied apples, faint raspberry, moss, orange peel; smooth, elegant, long silky finish; aged with a distinguished decrepitude; fruits are slightly maderised; tannins mostly resolved but still some grip; in decline but lovely to drink
After 1.5 Hours: Nose similar; palate more fully integrated, more substantial, greater depth
After 2.5 Hours: On the decline, elements more dispersed again (2155 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 5/29/2019: Route 66 - Bordeaux Exploration (Vaucluse Townhouse): St Emilion C: Very interesting. Darker and more savory in nature. It's got the darker fruits with tobacco and leather and a bit of spiciness. Again well structured and a certain level of clarity to the wine. Very tasty. Glad to see we have a bottle but don't feel a need to pull immediately. This wine isn't going anywhere. (2783 views) | | | Tasted by brooklynguy on 7/31/2016: Classic old right bank wine, with tobacco and earthy notes underlining the rich and still sappy dark fruit. Perfectly balanced and harmonious, and comes across as a round and seamless wine. Just lovely. (4395 views) | | | Tasted by steinersing on 7/15/2016 & rated 94 points: this held up quite nicely - still good energy levels. nose a bit more left bank than right bank. (3446 views) | | | Tasted by steinersing on 10/27/2015 & rated 88 points: slightly unexciting but still enjoyable wine - don't think this will get better (3493 views) | | | Tasted by ricknat1 on 6/10/2014 & rated 93 points: Elegant, mature (4420 views) | | | Tasted by soyhead on 4/30/2010 & rated 91 points: 1st Gro(w)th Nite at PRIMAs (PRIMA, Walnut Creek): For sure my first Ausone. nose of caramel, tea, and cocoa. mouth - absolutely huge tannins on this 40+ year old wine. Shocking. The main flavor i picked up was truffle. The power of the wine was undeniable, but the tannins seemed to overwhelm the fruit. I think in the wrestling match between the tannins and fruit, the tannins have clearly won. Could this further develop with time in the bottle? Who knows? Not me as i have no other experience with Ausone, but i have my doubts. (7993 views) | | | Tasted by Rupert on 12/1/2009 & rated 88 points: Chateau Ausone vertical 1929-2005 (Institute of Directors, London): Strong, stalky nose, a bit raw and coarse, but enough sweetness at the core to make it palatable (6853 views) | | | Tasted by Tree512 on 8/10/2008 & rated 82 points: I have loved old bottles of Ausone that Parker hates, but this one was not a winner. Not shot like the last bottle but still over the hill. Fruit was overly sweet, still had good tannins but little length or complexitity. Disappointing. (5570 views) | | | Tasted by Tree512 on 5/10/2008 flawed bottle: Wet cork to the top, completely shot. Bottle was low shoulder, so I knew it had significant risk. Too bad, because the wine looked extremely dark and had a lot of fruit to it. Well stored bottles should be excellent. (5161 views) |
| By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Jan/Feb 2019, Issue #79, Château Ausone The Most Magical Terroir in St. Émilion
(Château Ausone) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Neal Martin
Vinous, Long and Winding Road: Ausone 1912–1999 (Mar 2018) (3/18/2018)
(Ausone Ausone Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, Jan/Feb 2018, Issue #73, Always the Right Time For the Right Bank Another Compendium From St. Émilion and Pomerol
(Château Ausone (St. Émilion)) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, May/Jun 2016, Issue #63, Recently Tasted Right Bank Gems 2008 Back to 1947 And Vintage Guide
(Château Ausone (decanted 8 hours by accident)) Login and sign up and see review text. | By John Gilman
View From the Cellar, May/Jun 2016, Issue #63, Recently Tasted Right Bank Gems 2008 Back to 1947 And Vintage Guide
(Château Ausone (St. Émilion)) Login and sign up and see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of View From the Cellar and Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Château Ausone Producer website – Read more about Chateau AusoneRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanLibournais Libournais (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux) - Read more about St. Emilion and its wines - Read more about Pomerol and its wines
Saint Emilion Grat Classified Growth, Classified Growths, Grands Crus Classes, GCC
In 1954, while the "Graves" growths had just published their own classification, the wine syndicate of Saint-Emilion, composed by wine growers, brokers and wine traders with the approval of the INAO - Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (A.O.C), decided to work on a classification for the wines of Saint Emilion. Initially, four grades were defined. These were reduced to two - First Great Classified Growth (A and B) and Great Classified Growth - in 1984.
As of Medoc's 1855 historical grading, the Saint-Emilion Great Classified Growth classification is not only based on qualitative criteria by tasting the wines on a ten years period previous to the assessment, but also on commercial considerations such as:
- sales price levels
- national and international commercial distribution
- the estate's reputation on the market
Properties who don't manage to join the club of about sixty Classified Growths are given the denomination of Great Growth ("Grand Cru"), while the remaining wineries of the A.O.C are simply reported as "Saint-Emilion". It is to be noted that the owners must officially apply to appear in the official classification. Thus for example the famous Chateau Tertre-Roteboeuf, whose quality and reputation would easily justify to be listed among the First Great Classified Growths, does not appear here by the will of its owner, François Mitjaville.
The Saint-Emilion Great Growth classification was revised in 1969, 1985, 1996 and 2006. The only two guaranteed vintage (A.O.C) who can apply to the classification are the "Saint-Emilion Grand Cru" and "Saint-Emilion" areas.
By grading 61 properties, the 2006 revision confirmed many growths from the former classification, but also caused a number of surprises and a few inevitable disappointments. Many observers thought that the impressive progression of Perse's Chateau Pavie since 1998 would be rewarded by an upgrade into the First Great Classified Growths (A) category, but finally such was not the case.
Among the estates promoted to the First Great Classified Growths B category are Chateau Troplong-Mondot and Pavie-Macquin, whose efforts made since the Nineties fully justify their new grade. It should be noted that no First Great Classified Growth was relegated to the lower Great Classified Growth class.
Promoted growths from the status of Great Growth ("Grand Cru") to Great Classified Growth ("Grand Cru Classe") are: Chateaux Bellefont-Belcier, Destieux, Fleur Cardinale, Grand Corbin, Grand Corbin-Despagne and Monbousquet.
The demoted growths from the status of Great Classified Growth to Great Growth are: Chateaux Bellevue, Cadet Bon, Faurie de Souchard, Guadet Saint-Julien, La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Belivier), La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Moueix), Lamarzelle, Petite Faurie de Soutard, Tertre Daugay, Villemaurine and Yon-Figeac. If the recent samples of some of the above mentioned properties may justify their current downgrade, there are great chances that estates like Bellevue, Tertre Daugay or Yon-Figeac will be upgraded to their previous rankings by the next revision in 2016 as the progresses noted after 2000, but not entering in the range of vintages (1993 - 2002) appointed for the criteria of selection for the 2006 classification, are noticable.
The two following estates have completely disappeared from the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classification: Curé-Bon-la-Madeleine (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Canon) and La Clusière (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Pavie).
Finally, no estate considered as "garagiste" has integrated the classification. Valandraud, Mondotte, Le Dome, Bellevue-Mondotte or Magrez-Fombrauge have, for the least, the potential to be ranked as Great Classified Growths. In sight of the very fine quality reached by the above mentioned estates in recent vintages as well as all the innovative wine making methods used by the "garagistes", it remains to be seen whether the authorities will dare to cross the line in 2016..?St. Émilion Grand Cru Les Vins de St. Émilion (Syndicate Vitocole de Saint-Emilion) – Read about St. Emilion
Vins de Bordeaux:
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Soil: Sandy soils with alluvial gravel deposits
Surface Area: 4,160 ha |
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