2000 Château Ausone
Community Tasting Note
WineDilletante Likes this wine:
Friday, July 7, 2023 - First bottle from a 6-pack OWC acquired through HDH. I've had enough experience with Ausone now to be able to tell this bottle was genuine unlike a previous bottle (from a different source) that was clearly a counterfeit. I think people need to be extra careful when sourcing the 2000 Ausone, I have a feeling a lot of the low scores are due to people being sold fake wine.
I have tasted about 10 pre-2000 vintages of Ausone, going back to 1964, and I can say this is the best Ausone I've had. Surprisingly, it was approachable on the palate after a 90min decant, with the bouquet blossoming after about 2 hours. The way I would describe this wine is that it really strives to preserve the reticence and haughtiness of the old Ausone we all love, while expanding the power and lushness of the palate. It is a more modern wine, don't get me wrong, but progress is not always a bad thing. The Cabernet Franc is particularly prominent in this vintage, I thought, bringing the flavor profile closer to Cheval Blanc than usual. It is unmistakably Ausone though, the regalness is still there.
The one small grievance I had is that the wine is maybe a touch over-extracted. It is barely noticeable but it is as if the winemaker was trying too hard. Hence the 99 points. But with time, I may be proven wrong. As we know, with Ausone, patience is paramount.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue (1,433 views)
