The Château Ausone is located on a 7-hectare south-facing vineyard mid-slope of the Saint-Émilion hillside, on limestone soils covered with a superficial layer of gravel. The grape varieties are 55% Cabernet franc and 45% Merlot. The wines are aged for 16 to 18 months in French oak barrels, 85% of which are new.
In the 1960s and 1970s, two families fought over the estate, the Dubois-Chalon and the Vauthier families, particularly over how to run the vineyard and vinifications. Alain Vauthier finally took over the reins in 1995, and from 1998 onwards, Château Ausone regained its place among the most prestigious wines of Bordeaux.
In the first edition of the Saint-Émilion classification in 1955, Château Ausone achieved the privileged position of Premier Grand Cru Classé “A”. It retained this distinction up to and including the 2021 vintage. At the beginning of 2022, Domaine chose to withdraw from the classification.
The Château Ausone does not demerit its reputation whatever the vintage. Production remains low, at barely 20,000 bottles a year, but the signature of its exceptional terroir is always present: aromatic richness, velvety tannins, finesse and generosity.
100 Points Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
The 2016 Ausone is a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot and it has a deep garnet-purple color. It is incredibly closed to begin, offering glimpses of juicy blackberries, plum preserves, and cedar chest, before unfurling to offer a whole array of exotic spices, sandalwood, violets, and notes of crushed rocks, plus a touch of smoked meats. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is so closed and tightly knit to start off, delivering peeks at mineral, floral, and opulent spice accents, with a rock-solid structure of grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing with epic length. It needs a good 8 years+, but should cellar for at least 40 more!
99-100 Points Jane Anson
The incredible succulent power in Ausone puts a different perspective on other wines, as it so often does. The epitome of perfumed finesse. The yield is up at 40hl/ha, high for these poor limestone soils, and the remarkable clarity of expression that runs right through the delicate but fleshy raspberry and smoke-tinged palate is helped by a pH of 3.5 (compared to 3.6 last year). In my book this counts as one of the truly exciting signatures of the vintage and that is only boosted by the limestone terroir. Stunning, with enormous persistency and a finish that just doesn’t want to quit. From a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc, aged in 80% new oak barrels.