2019 Château Ausone

The 2019 Château Ausone is a majestic, deeply structured Saint-Émilion that captures the château’s hallmark combination of power, finesse and longevity. Sourced from one of Bordeaux’s most storied limestone plateaus, this is a Grand Vin made in tiny quantities, coveted by collectors and connoisseurs worldwide. With its high proportion of Cabernet Franc and centuries of know‑how behind it, the 2019 is built for a very long life yet already shows an alluring, almost seductive charm in its youth.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, the 2019 Château Ausone is an intense, opaque ruby-purple with a vivid rim, hinting at both concentration and freshness. The nose is strikingly complex and vertical, opening with black cherry, ripe plum and wild blackberry, followed by layers of violet, graphite, crushed limestone, licorice and subtle cigar box. As it unfolds in the glass, notes of dark chocolate, black truffle, exotic spices and a delicate saline edge emerge, reflecting its limestone terroir. On the palate, the wine is at once dense and ethereal, with a refined, velvety core framed by firm yet ultra-fine tannins. Vertical, focused acidity gives the wine a sense of lift and energy, driving flavours of blackcurrant, blueberry, damson, violet and fresh tobacco across the palate. The oak is perfectly integrated, adding gentle notes of cedar, clove and sweet spice without overshadowing the fruit. The finish is extremely long, mineral and persistent, with a lingering impression of cool stone and dark berries. Still at the beginning of what will be a very long evolution, this 2019 Ausone has outstanding aging potential, comfortably 25–40 years in a proper cellar, with its most complete drinking window likely from the mid‑2030s onward.

Production
Château Ausone’s vineyards sit on the dramatic limestone plateau and steep, south-facing slopes of Saint‑Émilion, one of the appellation’s most privileged terroirs. The thin topsoil over pure limestone and the natural underground caves beneath the estate provide superb drainage, regulate vine stress and contribute to the wine’s hallmark tension and minerality. The small vineyard, planted primarily to Cabernet Franc with Merlot completing the blend, is meticulously tended and harvested entirely by hand, parcel by parcel, at optimal ripeness. In the cellar, Ausone combines traditional craftsmanship with modern precision: gentle sorting of bunches and berries, fermentation in temperature‑controlled vats, and careful extraction to preserve finesse and aromatic purity. The Grand Vin is then aged predominantly in new French oak barrels, where it matures and gains depth, complexity and structure before bottling in very limited quantities.

Food & Serving
The 2019 Château Ausone is a natural partner for refined, flavorful dishes such as roast lamb with rosemary, dry‑aged ribeye, pigeon or duck with truffle, veal with morel mushrooms, or slow‑braised beef cheeks. It also shines alongside aged hard cheeses like Comté or old Gruyère, and earthy preparations featuring porcini or black truffle. Serve at 16–18°C (60–64°F) in large Bordeaux glasses to allow the bouquet to fully develop. In its youth, decanting for 2–3 hours is strongly recommended to soften the tannins and unlock its aromatic complexity; as it matures, a shorter, gentle decant mainly to remove sediment will be sufficient.

Producer
Château Ausone is one of Bordeaux’s most historic and revered estates, with roots reaching back to Roman times. Named after the 4th‑century Roman poet and statesman Ausonius, who is believed to have owned vineyards on this site, the property has been cultivated through the Middle Ages and into the modern era, helping shape Saint‑Émilion’s reputation as one of the world’s great wine regions. Today, Ausone holds the prestigious status of Premier Grand Cru Classé (A), a recognition of its consistent excellence and unique terroir. Producing only a small quantity of Grand Vin each year, alongside its second wine Chapelle d’Ausone, the château is celebrated for wines that combine intensity, precision and extraordinary aging capacity, and it remains one of the most sought‑after names in all of Bordeaux.

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