Wine Critic
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Chateau Ausone Saint-Emilion 2022
Prior to the 2022 vintage, this wine was classed as Premier Grand Cru Classe A.
Critic tasting note: (2022 vintage)
"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." - Falstaff (99/100)
"Mint, licorice, spice, incense, blackberries, black cherries, espresso, flowers, crushed stones, spice and cocoa create the attention seeking nose. There is intensity, richness, depth, and energy on the palate. The influence of crushed rocks, stones, and chalk is strong on the palate. The peppery edge to the powerful layers of fruit provide additional complexity, and lift to the dark fruits. The resilient finish coats your palate with layers of salty, dark, sweet, black, red and blue fruits that linger. The wine blends 50% Cabernet Franc with 50% Merlot.15% ABV, 3.57 pH. Harvesting took place September 5-9 for the Merlot and September 21-27 for the Cabernet Franc. Yields were 38 hectoliters per hectare. 1,600 cases were produced. Drink from 2030-2065. 97-99 Pts." - Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider (98/100)
"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." - Wine Enthusiast (97/100)
"The 2022 Ausone opens in the glass with a brooding bouquet of raspberry preserve, licorice, rose petals and creamy new oak. Full-bodied, deep and dense, it's layered and textural, with a sweet core of fruit framed by powdery, youthfully grippy tannins, concluding with a discreetly heady finish. It's a serious, structured Ausone that will require a bit of patience." - Robert Parker The Wine Advocate, Reviewed by: William Kelley (95/100)
"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." - James Suckling
Producer Notes
Today, the 11th generation of the Vauthier family watches over this unique terroir of seven hectares on the hillside south of the village of Saint-Émilion. This historic estate, associated with the poet Ausone, dates back to Roman times. Our expert winegrowers pay meticulous attention to each vine, respecting an entire ecosystem. Every precise action from vineyard to cellar contributes to a single ambition: to give the terroir the most authentic expression possible.
Drinking Window
2032 - 2070
Winemaking
Manual harvest with density sorting. Plot-by-plot vinification in small wooden vats. Gentle extraction controlled by gravity-fed rack and-return.
Maturation
Oaked
Vineyard Notes
Location 'Ihe vineyatd is exceptionally located on the heights of Saint Emilion, facing east- south-east, close to the rampatts of the medieval village. Planted vineyard area 7.25 hectalvs. Nature of soils Vines spread over asteria limestone plateau and calcareous Clay slope. Plantation density Between 6,500 and 12,600 vines per hectare. Average age of the vines 54 years.
Harvest Notes
Merlot : 5 and 9 September. Cabemet Franc : 21 and 27 September.
Ageing
20 months ageing in french oak barrels.
Vineyard Manager/ Viticulturist
Laurent Vallet
