Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Ausone ‘09 has quite an unusual nose compared to its peers – less flamboyant perhaps but no less compelling. The terroir really shines through here. The palate is beautifully balanced with super fine tannins. There is real class to this wine – sophisticated, refined, harmonious and graceful. A masterpiece. 97 points

A masterpiece in the making, proprietor Alain Vauthier’s 2009 Ausone boasts a dense purple color along with notes of powdered chalk, crushed rocks and wild blue, red and black fruits. Extravagantly rich with great minerality, precision and freshness as well as a voluptuous texture (unusual for a baby Ausone), this is an extraordinary wine. Sadly, there are fewer than 1,200 cases ... for the world. Anticipated maturity. 2020-2060+. 98+ points

Bright ruby-red. Serious medicinal reserve to the aromas of iron, violet and coconutty oak. A real mineral bath on the palate, with outstanding concentration and energy t