Château Ausone 2009

Wonderfully complex aromas, superb tannins, perfectly balanced and intensely concentrated: an exceedingly elegant, uniquely beautiful wine that relies not on power but on exquisite sensuality.

Incredible nose of currants and blueberries. Flowers too. Licorice. Such purity on the nose of Cabernet Franc. Full body, incredible structure, with fabulous tannins and a long, long finish. Built out of stone. The perfect Ausone. Try after 2022.

Tasted blind. Medium-concentration crimson. Sweet and almost coconut oaky nose. Thick, sweet and attention-grabbing, but it does lack a bit of freshness. More to be marvelled at than to refresh. Lots of alcohol. (JR)

The 2009 Ausone has a sumptuous bouquet with pure blackberry, raspberry, rose petal and orange blossom aromas. The wine is beautifully defined and blossoms with aeration. It becomes very liquorice- and menthol-like after 10 minutes’ aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. It is not a powerful 2009 and it feels sleek and quite tensile. Pure red fruit linger on the palate with a very deft, almost understated finish. So elegant, so Ausone. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.

2009 Ausone offers crushed stone, smoke, fennel, and black and blue fruits on the nose. Full-bodied and supple, this rich, silky, voluptuous wine, produced from 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot, finishes with sweet plums, minerals, and dark berries. 96-98 pts

Fresh, almost red-berry, the fruit nevertheless somewhat encapsulated, mineral, hints of oak. Again red fruits, fresh structure, fine chocolate notes, remains well-lasting, appears almost slender despite the vintage, great length.

60% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot. 18,000 bottles. Delicate, ultra‑fine bouquet with candied fruit, black cherries, rock‑candy notes, freshly fermented Darjeeling tea, fine fresh herbal tones, violets, cassis and various precious woods that mingle into a tender yet intense fragrance. Perfect entry on the palate, silky, melting tannins, utterly harmonious, black berries, licorice, endless finish with dark malt, vanilla bean and reduced pear juice. Not a drug, but one of the most perfect Saint‑Émilion classics ever on its way to legend. It will join the very, very great Ausone vintages. If any Bordeaux wine can be assigned Romanée‑Conti status, it is Ausone. And unfortunately, that will also be reflected in the exorbitant en‑primeur price. The formula is relatively simple: approximate 12‑bottle case price about 12 years ago = approximate single‑bottle price today. (20/20). 12: 2009 Château Ausone: Dense, dark, wine‑red with many garnet highlights. Café au lait, pralines, rock‑candy notes, there’s also a hint of Port, some young Málaga and chocolate drink, raspberry seeds. In some ways the bouquet also recalls a truly great Pomerol; the power on the nose is overwhelming—you don’t have to sniff, the wine comes to you in lavish fashion. Since it was the last wine of the evening, I took the entire tasting pour in one go onto the palate. The thing explodes, with endless fat and flesh. A hot, sensual Ausone that will one day resemble, in a much better form, its own 1947.

Fresh, complex, elegant, and profound bouquet with assorted berries, cedar, mint, tobacco, mocha, pralines. Balanced, tightly knit, multi-layered, Burgundian palate with silky, dense, superb structure, fine tannins, and superb aromatics. Eternal, sweet, elegant finish with very good lingering flavors. 20/20 2015 - 2050

Ausone captures the exuberance and joy of 2009 without ever putting a step over the line - get ready to reach for the superlatives. Still young at 15 years old, but all the finesse and nuance is in place, with huge depths to the berry fruit, plenty of anis and fennel spice, saffron and pumice stone, by turns soft then steely. Hard to think of a better St Emilion 2009, and I would bet on it continuing to deliver huge pleasure over the decades to come. Winemaker/cellar master Philippe Baillarguet, overseen by Pauline Vauthier and father Alain, 100% new oak for ageing.

He asserts himself once again. A powerful attack, silky tannins, and elegant length. The palate stands out for its sapidity on the finish, guided by expansive tannins that are fine and supple. Don’t miss the second wine: La Chapelle d’Ausone offers a beautiful mid-palate density and will evolve gracefully.

Ausone 2009 is a fabulously concentrated wine with exquisitely fine tannins, magnificent fruit, and incredible complexity. Fascinating. A legendary wine.

Logo on the cork: No logo Dark red color, intense and youthful. Intense nose with ripe, subtle fruit. Notes of strawberry, flowers, and spices. Soft on entry, flavorful mid-palate, with a delicate touch and a very pleasant overall poise; the wine caresses the palate, both smooth and refined. It’s very good. You can start tasting it.

97-99 Barrel sample. It may be 14.5 percent alcohol, but, with its huge freshness, the wine almost sings with elegance. The texture is opulent, with intense black fruits and a core of solid tannins. Impressive balance.