1er Grand Cru A Class.
Merlot Noir 50 %, Cabernet Franc (Bouchet) 50 %.
Aged in cask from 20 to 24 months.
Anticipated maturity 15 - 50 years.
The wines of Château Ausone, called " the wines of the poet ", obtain, after long years of aging, an important difference with all the neighboring vineyards.
What the critics say...
Robert Parker: 95 points(01/04/2005)
In many respects, the 2002 may be even more impressive than the 2003. A far more challenging vintage to get everything right, and especially in St.-Emilion, where many disappointments have been produced, this is one of the wines of the vintage and (along with Pavie) among the finest wines from the Right Bank. It possesses a deep purple color as well as a gorgeous nose of creme de cassis, blackberries, wet stones, and wonderfully perfumed floral notes. When the wine hits the palate, it exhibits impressive purity, medium to full body, a multi-layered texture, and extraordinary precision and intensity with a finish just short of 50 seconds. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2035.
Pairing: Aged Cheese, Game Animals, Grilled Red Meats, Legume, Roasts, Stews.
Château Ausone is a Bordeaux wine from Saint-Émilion appellation, one of only two wines, along with Château Cheval Blanc, to be ranked Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine. The winery is located on the Right Bank of France’s Bordeaux wine region in the Gironde... department, close to the town of Saint-Émilion. The winery also produces a second wine named Chapelle d'Ausone. The success of the wine produced at Ausone is attributed to a combination of exposure and the soil, a mixture of sand and clay on limestone unique to the district. The vineyard is 7 hectares (17 acres), arranged with the grape varieties of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot, planted with a density of 6,500 plants per hectare. Due to the small scale of the vineyards, picking may be done at an optimal moment, usually in two afternoons. Of both the Grand vin and the second wine Chapelle d'Ausone, the annual production averages little more than 2,000 cases (180 hL).
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