- Producer
- Ausone
- Origin
- St-Emilion, Right bank, Bordeaux FRANCE
- Colour
- red
- Wine Style
- dry
- Dominant Grape
- Merlot
- Closure Style
- cork
- Maturity
- young
- Bottle Size
- 75cl
- Case Quantity
- 3
- Alcohol
- 14.5%
- Wine Score
- 98 points, Jane Anson, decanter.com, April 2019 17.5+ points, Julia Harding, jancisrobinson.com, May 2019
98-100 points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, robertparker.com, April 2019
97-100 points, Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, April 2019
98-100 points, Chris Kissa
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Media Reviews
Jane Anson
Pauline Vauthier is the 11th generation of the family to be producing wine here. It`s always such an incredible wine, and as ever you can see that they are playing a different game from so many others. The juice, the slate, the minerality, the drip-drip-drip of freshly squeezed berries, spice and barely-there tannins, the sapidity on the finish. Amazing! Harvest ran from 25 September to 9 October. 3.6pH. 100% new oak. 98 points
Julia Harding
60% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot. Barrel sample. Black core with narrow purple rim. Intense, aromatic if slightly charry cassis. Very fine fruit – intense but surprisingly juicy and fresh. Rounded yet powerful. Chewy and with a great undertow of terrific, perfectly ripe fruit and there`s a much clearer influence of Cabernet Franc here, with that freshness it brings. Just fresh enough but would show a lot better if the sample were cooler. 17.5+ points
Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The 2018 Ausone is composed of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot. The Merlot was harvested September 25 and 27, and the Cabernet Franc was harvested October 3, 8 and 9. Deep purple-black in color, it is an impenetrable wall to begin, unrelenting without persistent coaxing, at last uncoiling to offer glimpses at preserved plums, blueberry coulis, molten licorice and underbrush with emerging scents of lavender, iron ore, crushed stones, charcoal and Indian spices plus a waft of red roses. Full-bodied, rich, decadent and tightly knit, it offers layer upon layer of fruit, spice and mineral nuances with a firm frame of exquisitely fine tannins and bold freshness, finishing with epic length and heart-stopping beauty. 98-100 points
Antonio Galloni
The 2018 Ausone is off the charts. Deep, sensual and mysterious, the 2018 is going to need many years to show the full breadth of its potential. And yet, there is so much there. Rich and concentrated on the palate, with phenomenal persistence, the 2018 is loaded with energy, tension and precision, offering a c ompelling interplay of opulence, saline intensity and structure. It is without question one of the wines of the vintage. 97-100 points
Chris Kissack
The blend is led by 60% Cabernet Franc picked October 7th, 8th and 9th, with 40% Merlot picked September 25th and 27th. The alcohol is 14.5%. The nose is beautifully fragrant, very pure, with pencil-drawn lines, and notes of perfumed cherry, all dusted with chalk, violets and pencil shavings along with a menthol and vanilla-flower freshness. The palate here is just gorgeous, showing interwoven threads of silky fruit and flower petals, elegantly wrapped together, in a svelte and very complete style. This barrel sample feels very fresh, certainly elegant, and displays great concentration, and yet it is so lithe, tense and elegantly defined. A composed style, with a resplendently long and gripped finish. The tannins are barely noticeable, and yet they wrap up the palate, along with a fresh ribbon of acidity, in a very accomplished manner. Impressive, so long, and so full of energy in the finish. This is a great Ausone, one which seems to have all the requisite components in place, and has truly excellent potential. The élevage will be 20 months in oak barrels. 98-100 points
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