Salon Ficofi Paris walkabout tasting and dinner, no detailed tasting notes. From DMG, generous, lush, good structure, much better than the 2011 alongside it. 96+
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Drunk alongside 2006 and 2014 Like the 2006 but even more complex and slightly more concentrated. Not heavy. Better than 06 or 14 Mineral, red fruits. A brilliant vintage
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Definitely a powerful, full-bodied and well-rounded right-bank Bordeaux wine. Intense aroma of fresh grass, pine and dark berries. Tannins and acohold levels are high, yet silky smooth to drink. Ausone never fails; and it has consistently out performed its peers from the rignt-bank, say Angelus, Cheval Blanc and Pavie.
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Moved nicely in the right direction since last bottle. This bottle started very pretty and then became so gorgeously addictive as it opened up. A background of velvety soft tannins, coats your entire mouth , in a delightfully enjoyable way. I’m trying to wait for at least 3 years for the next bottle.
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Drank my first bottle of an ex-château half case. Brief note: I love right bank Merlot /Cab Franc blends and in this case 55 CF /45 Merlot . Needs 2-3 more years to resolve the tannins. Beautiful silky mouth feel, cab franc nose, good structure, a star in the making! 99+ potiental within the next two decades. Currently 97 IMO. Going to put the other bottles in a cold dark cellar and try to forget them for a half a decade or so!
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Ausone was tasted next to Mouton R 09 and Margaux 09.
Had nice dinner with a friend of mine who is a recognized wine taster.
His clear favorite was Ausone. I guess he would have rated it 100 points, but we did not talk about ratings, but it was his WOTN and we also had La Tache 2012 or 2013.
This wine was sublime and is wine in the making.
Personally Margaux was my favorite - but all were great.
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20 Vintages of Ausone (1986 - 2015): All wines tasted single blind. Ausone is a rare bird and hence, the term „once in a lifetime“ certainly applies to this tasting. A few oberservations: 1) Huge quality improvement in recent years: Only after 2005 I can see Ausone up there with the best Bordeauxs thanks to less oak, more depth and precision and a hightened elegance. 2) The high Cabernet Franc share in the blend (ever increasing) makes these wines quite unique, lighter and with more airiness and a darker fruit expression than most right banks. 3) The wines need a lot of time: Ausone is rather a late bloomer and does not provide as much early drinking fun as many of its right bank peers - especially the great vintages (05, 09, 10, 15). 4) The best wines with the highest scores were almost all off-vintages (a first for me). The highest scores went to 08, 06, 07, 14. These wines are weightless and show how great the big vintages will be once mature. Only the 05 was up there with the off-vintages. 5) Wine of the night and my best off-vintage Bordeaux ever was the 2008 (rated 98 pts).
TN: Rather muted nose which needed a bit of swirling to reveal some ripe, dark fruit. Not open and inviting. Same is true for the palate with dark berries, minerality and herbs. A wall of tannins will need a lot more years to soften and open up, gain creaminess and become lighter. A bottle two years ago showed much better (95 pts), so I guess this has shut down recently. Like the 2005 and 2015, this has a lot of substance and is quite promising but in this tasting it didn’t really show all it has in store. A bit more air might have helped here as witnessed by a bottle of the 2016 we had recently which needed a few hours of air to open up and showed brilliantly (rated 97 pts).
Decanting: Not decanted, not sure how much more air would have helped here. I would give it at least 3-4 hours in the decanter. Better just wait.
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Ausone vertical (20 vintages) (Fribourg): Ausone vertical featuring 20 vintages from the 1986-2015 period. Hosted by a private collector an moderated by J-M Quarin. All wines were served single-blind with no prior decant. What struck me was the outstanding performance of some of the off-vintages, especially 2008, 2007 and 2006. That said I was super-excited about the 2015 which was pretty closed but showed enormous potential. The notoriously late-maturing profile was apparent with many of the 90ies vintages not yet ready. Full list of vintages and scores included in the tasting story.
Tasting note: Dark coffee and, on balance, darker berry fruit, some dried herbs and maybe barnyard. Came across slightly restrained at this stage. In terms of complexity more narraw and balance not quite perfect with lingering, slightly dry tannins.
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2009 Bordeaux 10 years in the bottle 2-day horizontal; 6/23/2019-6/24/2019 (Fribourg): Part of a grand Bordeaux 2009 tasting spanning 2 days that revealed 1) a right bank struggling with overripe fruit and overwhelming tannins, 2) wide spreak between top performers and laggards, 3) left bank, and especially Margaux, outshone the right bank cousins, 4) Top wines: Palmer, Margaux, Cheval Blanc, Vieux Chateau Certan.
Tasting note: Very ripe fruit, some herbs and a bit of medicinal notes. Juicy and fruity palate. Layered texture.
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Bordeaux 2009 - 10 Years On - 47 Reds; 6/23/2019-6/24/2019: 2009 Bordeaux after 10 years. 48 red wines. The left bank (average rating 94.2) clearly trumps the right bank (92.6): Elegance, purity and freshness vs over-extraction, ripeness and oxidation. But there are some winners on the right bank (Cheval, Petrus, Hosanna for now, Lafleur, Trotanoy medium-term) but the highest scores were given to left bank wines (Margaux #1 overall, Palmer, Mouton, for now, Latour, St. Juliens medium-term). I guess purists will not like the loads of oak-derived aromas which in some wines are great but can make the wines a bit slutty (Cheval, Margaux, quite a lot of right banks). But there are plenty of more classically shaped wines too. Overall, the 2009s are a lot of fun with many pockets of greatness but I would be very selective on the right bank. If you like more elegant, subtle and classic wines I would focus on 2005/2010/2016. All wines tasted blind and without decanting.
TN: This wine showed the freshest, most terroir-driven profile of the 24 right bank wines we had. While Cheval Blanc, VCC, Petrus where more on the slutty, hedonistic side of the spectrum, this is clearly more an intellectual wine. Lots of limestone, crushed rocks, graphite rather cool dark berries and on the palate more fresh strawberries. At first the nose was a tad muted but opened up with time. Medium+ complexity but well balanced. Tannins still slightly noticeable but very fine. This is a balanced, elegant and long wine and in this round with all the power and ripeness definitely rather an odd-one-out. If you open a bottle today, I would give it a long decant (8+ hours is advised). 95++ points.
Average blind score 4 tasters: 94.8 Rank: 18th out of 48 wines (shared rank with Montrose, Brane Cantenac, Beausejour Duffau)
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when a Chinese uncle-in-law says "we should have a look at some 09 Bordeaux tonight" I was happy with my choice of a 09 Le Gay to yet another CNY dinner. I should have guessed, he turns up with an 09 Ausone!! After a week of festivities, it was only the two of us drinking red tonight, allowing me to savour both wines with a delightful Northern Chinese spectrum of foods. Even enhanced by the restaurant having excellent glassware, not often the case here in China. My wine double decanted and re-bottled four hours previously, his opened and left alone last night. The Ausone might be the "blackest" wine I have ever seen, eclipsing even the oil-sump shiraz wines from home. Even after 24 hours, the nose was somewhat reticent, hints of new oak, perhaps subtle band aid and violets. A monumental palate that went on forever, but again, I just wonder if there was a hint of brett and minuscule green elements (although I am incredibly sensitive to green in wines) At this stage, more a scientific exercise (and a very expensive one at that!!) than an experience of hedonism, but I am (moderately) confident in thirty years this will develop into a legend. However, really scored as a stab in the dark, it was not a massive pleasure to drink tonight. OTOH, the 03 Ausone we had recently was absolutely stellar. 92++ tonight, sorry, but that is how we saw it!!!
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2009 Ausone offers crushed stone, smoke, fennel, and black with blue fruits in the nose. Full bodied and supple, this rich, silky, voluptuous wine, produced from 55% cabernet franc and 45% merlot, ends with sweet plums, minerals, and dark berries. 96-98 Pts
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65% Cab Franc 35% Merlot Blue and black fruit, cassis, lavender, perhaps the biggest wine except Pavie, PD and BM. It has incredible concentration, extremely silky texture and long finish while completely maintaining freshness. It shows noticeable tannin but much less obtrusive than that of Perse’s wine. 98-100 pts.
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12/12/2023 - Collector1855 wrote: 96 Points
Salon Ficofi Paris walkabout tasting and dinner, no detailed tasting notes. From DMG, generous, lush, good structure, much better than the 2011 alongside it. 96+
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11/28/2023 - Alykhan V Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drunk alongside 2006 and 2014
Like the 2006 but even more complex and slightly more concentrated. Not heavy. Better than 06 or 14
Mineral, red fruits. A brilliant vintage
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10/17/2023 - d.f.c Likes this wine: 97 Points
Definitely a powerful, full-bodied and well-rounded right-bank Bordeaux wine. Intense aroma of fresh grass, pine and dark berries. Tannins and acohold levels are high, yet silky smooth to drink. Ausone never fails; and it has consistently out performed its peers from the rignt-bank, say Angelus, Cheval Blanc and Pavie.
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5/28/2023 - DWStyle Likes this wine: 98 Points
Moved nicely in the right direction since last bottle.
This bottle started very pretty and then became so gorgeously addictive as it opened up. A background of velvety soft tannins, coats your entire mouth , in a delightfully enjoyable way. I’m trying to wait for at least 3 years for the next bottle.
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8/16/2022 - DWStyle Likes this wine: 97 Points
Drank my first bottle of an ex-château half case.
Brief note: I love right bank Merlot /Cab Franc blends and in this case 55 CF /45 Merlot . Needs 2-3 more years to resolve the tannins. Beautiful silky mouth feel, cab franc nose, good structure, a star in the making! 99+ potiental within the next two decades. Currently 97 IMO. Going to put the other bottles in a cold dark cellar and try to forget them for a half a decade or so!
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1/27/2022 - Sedal Likes this wine: 98 Points
Ausone was tasted next to Mouton R 09 and Margaux 09.
Had nice dinner with a friend of mine who is a recognized wine taster.
His clear favorite was Ausone. I guess he would have rated it 100 points, but we did not talk about ratings, but it was his WOTN and we also had La Tache 2012 or 2013.
This wine was sublime and is wine in the making.
Personally Margaux was my favorite - but all were great.
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9/8/2021 - Cailles wrote: 93 Points
20 Vintages of Ausone (1986 - 2015): All wines tasted single blind. Ausone is a rare bird and hence, the term „once in a lifetime“ certainly applies to this tasting. A few oberservations: 1) Huge quality improvement in recent years: Only after 2005 I can see Ausone up there with the best Bordeauxs thanks to less oak, more depth and precision and a hightened elegance. 2) The high Cabernet Franc share in the blend (ever increasing) makes these wines quite unique, lighter and with more airiness and a darker fruit expression than most right banks. 3) The wines need a lot of time: Ausone is rather a late bloomer and does not provide as much early drinking fun as many of its right bank peers - especially the great vintages (05, 09, 10, 15). 4) The best wines with the highest scores were almost all off-vintages (a first for me). The highest scores went to 08, 06, 07, 14. These wines are weightless and show how great the big vintages will be once mature. Only the 05 was up there with the off-vintages. 5) Wine of the night and my best off-vintage Bordeaux ever was the 2008 (rated 98 pts).
TN: Rather muted nose which needed a bit of swirling to reveal some ripe, dark fruit. Not open and inviting. Same is true for the palate with dark berries, minerality and herbs. A wall of tannins will need a lot more years to soften and open up, gain creaminess and become lighter. A bottle two years ago showed much better (95 pts), so I guess this has shut down recently. Like the 2005 and 2015, this has a lot of substance and is quite promising but in this tasting it didn’t really show all it has in store. A bit more air might have helped here as witnessed by a bottle of the 2016 we had recently which needed a few hours of air to open up and showed brilliantly (rated 97 pts).
Decanting: Not decanted, not sure how much more air would have helped here. I would give it at least 3-4 hours in the decanter. Better just wait.
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8/30/2021 - sirpat00 wrote: 93 Points
Ausone vertical (20 vintages) (Fribourg): Ausone vertical featuring 20 vintages from the 1986-2015 period. Hosted by a private collector an moderated by J-M Quarin. All wines were served single-blind with no prior decant. What struck me was the outstanding performance of some of the off-vintages, especially 2008, 2007 and 2006. That said I was super-excited about the 2015 which was pretty closed but showed enormous potential. The notoriously late-maturing profile was apparent with many of the 90ies vintages not yet ready. Full list of vintages and scores included in the tasting story.
Tasting note:
Dark coffee and, on balance, darker berry fruit, some dried herbs and maybe barnyard. Came across slightly restrained at this stage. In terms of complexity more narraw and balance not quite perfect with lingering, slightly dry tannins.
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11/9/2019 - steinersing wrote: 98 Points
Still nowhere near my drinking window - great tannins, shows well, nose a bit opening
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6/23/2019 - sirpat00 wrote: 94 Points
2009 Bordeaux 10 years in the bottle 2-day horizontal; 6/23/2019-6/24/2019 (Fribourg): Part of a grand Bordeaux 2009 tasting spanning 2 days that revealed 1) a right bank struggling with overripe fruit and overwhelming tannins, 2) wide spreak between top performers and laggards, 3) left bank, and especially Margaux, outshone the right bank cousins, 4) Top wines: Palmer, Margaux, Cheval Blanc, Vieux Chateau Certan.
Tasting note:
Very ripe fruit, some herbs and a bit of medicinal notes. Juicy and fruity palate. Layered texture.
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6/23/2019 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points
Bordeaux 2009 - 10 Years On - 47 Reds; 6/23/2019-6/24/2019: 2009 Bordeaux after 10 years. 48 red wines. The left bank (average rating 94.2) clearly trumps the right bank (92.6): Elegance, purity and freshness vs over-extraction, ripeness and oxidation. But there are some winners on the right bank (Cheval, Petrus, Hosanna for now, Lafleur, Trotanoy medium-term) but the highest scores were given to left bank wines (Margaux #1 overall, Palmer, Mouton, for now, Latour, St. Juliens medium-term). I guess purists will not like the loads of oak-derived aromas which in some wines are great but can make the wines a bit slutty (Cheval, Margaux, quite a lot of right banks). But there are plenty of more classically shaped wines too. Overall, the 2009s are a lot of fun with many pockets of greatness but I would be very selective on the right bank. If you like more elegant, subtle and classic wines I would focus on 2005/2010/2016. All wines tasted blind and without decanting.
TN: This wine showed the freshest, most terroir-driven profile of the 24 right bank wines we had. While Cheval Blanc, VCC, Petrus where more on the slutty, hedonistic side of the spectrum, this is clearly more an intellectual wine. Lots of limestone, crushed rocks, graphite rather cool dark berries and on the palate more fresh strawberries. At first the nose was a tad muted but opened up with time. Medium+ complexity but well balanced. Tannins still slightly noticeable but very fine. This is a balanced, elegant and long wine and in this round with all the power and ripeness definitely rather an odd-one-out. If you open a bottle today, I would give it a long decant (8+ hours is advised). 95++ points.
Average blind score 4 tasters: 94.8
Rank: 18th out of 48 wines
(shared rank with Montrose, Brane Cantenac, Beausejour Duffau)
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3/31/2016 - Housefamily wrote: 100 Points
With Steve and Marie madison
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2/22/2015 - felixp wrote: 92 Points
when a Chinese uncle-in-law says "we should have a look at some 09 Bordeaux tonight" I was happy with my choice of a 09 Le Gay to yet another CNY dinner. I should have guessed, he turns up with an 09 Ausone!! After a week of festivities, it was only the two of us drinking red tonight, allowing me to savour both wines with a delightful Northern Chinese spectrum of foods. Even enhanced by the restaurant having excellent glassware, not often the case here in China.
My wine double decanted and re-bottled four hours previously, his opened and left alone last night.
The Ausone might be the "blackest" wine I have ever seen, eclipsing even the oil-sump shiraz wines from home.
Even after 24 hours, the nose was somewhat reticent, hints of new oak, perhaps subtle band aid and violets. A monumental palate that went on forever, but again, I just wonder if there was a hint of brett and minuscule green elements (although I am incredibly sensitive to green in wines)
At this stage, more a scientific exercise (and a very expensive one at that!!) than an experience of hedonism, but I am (moderately) confident in thirty years this will develop into a legend. However, really scored as a stab in the dark, it was not a massive pleasure to drink tonight. OTOH, the 03 Ausone we had recently was absolutely stellar.
92++ tonight, sorry, but that is how we saw it!!!
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7/28/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
2009 Ausone offers crushed stone, smoke, fennel, and black with blue fruits in the nose. Full bodied and supple, this rich, silky, voluptuous wine, produced from 55% cabernet franc and 45% merlot, ends with sweet plums, minerals, and dark berries. 96-98 Pts
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4/1/2010 - dcwino wrote: 99 Points
65% Cab Franc 35% Merlot
Blue and black fruit, cassis, lavender, perhaps the biggest wine except Pavie, PD and BM. It has incredible concentration, extremely silky texture and long finish while completely maintaining freshness. It shows noticeable tannin but much less obtrusive than that of Perse’s wine. 98-100 pts.
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