Château Ausone 2022

An immersive bouquet with a chalky expression, exceptionally clear, floral notes, violet, utterly captivating; sensationally dense yet featherlight, with unparalleled elegance, perfectly ripe, sweet, silky tannins, everything in its place; an almost endless finish; perfect harmony.

Intense black chocolate, blackcurrants, and kirsch-like richness. Exotic, gripping, and juicy—less dense than expected but crystalline and pure. Poised yet powerful, muscular yet refined. Salty, spicy tannins melt into a lingering, fruit-filled finish. A clear step up from Chapelle, with an extra layer of finesse. Signature Ausone with remarkable depth and balance despite over 15% alcohol. 3.57pH.

Wow. This is such a big and beautiful Ausone with huge depth that slowly uncoils. Really powerful, mineral and naturally concentrated, with iron, chalk and a rich, almost opulent core of black fruit, but really fresh, with chiseled tapenade and wood spices that only tiptoe on the nose. Superb intensity hidden beneath the palate, with a matrix of chalky tannins that vibrate, shine and extend. Nothing stops it at the finish, which lasts well over a minute. Almost beguilingly drinkable considering the tannin quality, which is so fine and energetic, but I'd give it at least 3-4 years to let the wood spices integrate more and let the wine grow with more complexity. A bigger Ausone with higher alcohol, but fantastic and rather outrageous. 60% cabernet franc and 40% merlot. This will age well for at least two decades.

50% Cabernet Franc, 50% Merlot. Cask sample. Unusually aromatic at this early stage. Complex floral and red- and dark-fruit notes. Uncompromisingly dense with plentiful but fine tannins. Smooth texture. No hard edges but firm and persistent. Plenty of potential. (JL)

The 2022 Ausone has a generous, quite floral bouquet, with rose petal and iris flower infusing the red fruit, very well defined with an assiduous use of oak. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, fresh and vibrant, smooth in texture with quite a linear, sorbet-fresh finish. Very long on the aftertaste, excellent. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London.

Aromatically complex, it is on the palate, with its incredible depth and palate-staining richness, that the wine begins to show its character. Picture continuous waves of powerful, perfectly ripe, concentrated black, red, and blue fruits cascading over a rock quarry, with accents of licorice, spice, cocoa, salt, black pepper, orange rind, and mint filling every nook and cranny of your palate. Despite all this weight and heft, the wine is vibrant, lifted, and energetic, which is no small feat! The blend is 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot. As it ages, I wouldn’t be surprised to see it hit triple digits—it’s that good. Drink from 2030–2065.

Deep dark ruby in colour with purple reflections, and subtle brightening on the rim. On the nose, an immensely engaging bouquet with intense berry fruit, floral and underpinned with liquorice, very fresh and attractive. The palate is juicy, with silky supporting tannins, mineral and highly elegant with fine red berry fruit and a saline finish. A fine wine with great length, and very good potential for further development.

Hands down one of the wines of the vintage, it shows power and depth coupled at every point with lift and grip. It stretches across the palate, slowly but surely delivering a tickle of spiced sage and saffron, with sappy blackcurrant and graphite. 100% new oak, harvest September 5 to 27, organic conversion, average vine age 54 years. The Vauthier family once again demonstrates how well they judge construction and architecture. First year not officially a Premier Grand Cru Classé A, but they have kept the ranking off the label for a number of years, so no change on that level.

Such depth, detail, freshness and diversity in the bouquet of Ausone. Nuances of violet and licorice highlight its subtlety, supported by notes of Morello cherry and blackcurrant. You feel as if you’re flying over the Loire and Burgundy, yet it’s on the hill of Ausone that you ultimately land! The wine is imposing in its ability to shine with serenity and confidence, unflinching, with an expression that speaks volumes of radiance without exuberance, without noise. A sapid, indulgent, powerful, graceful and commanding wine!

The nose is fresh, elegant and delicate, with an almost graphene-like, aromatic edge, fine complexity and a slightly meaty touch. A superb, racy grain, almost chalky. There are notes of blueberry, graphene, and, more lightly, roasted/juicy cherry, joined by hints of vanilla and cornflower, plus a nod to the terroir. On the palate, the wine is deftly handled—supple, fresh, juicy, elegant, vibrant—with beautiful purity of fruit. You get notes of vibrant blackcurrant and blueberry, and, more subtly, fleshy cherry, combined with touches of ripe, crushed small fruits, as well as notes of vanilla, toasted hazelnut and cornflower. A subtle, almost camphor-like touch. In the background, nuances of chocolate and licorice. The tannins are soft and gourmand. Lovely freshness, suppleness and indulgence. Sun-kissed yet airy, with finesse, control, elegance and freshness.

Dark, purple color. Intense, refined, fruity, pure, ripe, subtle nose. Noble when the glass is swirled. Ultra-precise on the attack, with a complex flavor emerging from mid-palate; the wine glides, then rises on the finish, expanding—ever subtle, ascending, deep, and superb. Blend: 50% Cabernet Franc, 50% Merlot. Alcohol: 15% – pH: 3.57. Yield: 38 hl/ha.

This is a great wine with big tannins and great spice and succulent black fruits. The wine's structure and the rich tannins are what makes the wine. In its concentration and intensity, the wine, from a 17-acre vineyard that dates back to the fourth century, has an enormous future. Drink from 2029.