Ausone - Saint-Emilion 2022

Wine Advocate

95

byWilliam Kelleythe3/7/2025

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.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

100

byJane Ansonthe3/7/2025

Hands down one of the wines of the vintage, shows power and depth coupled at every point with lift and grip, stretches out through the palate, slowly but surely delivering a tickle of spiced sage and saffron, with sappy blackcurrant and graphite. 100% new oak, harvest september 5 to 27, organic conversion, 54 years average vines, Vauthier family shows once again how well they judge construction and architecture. First year not officially a Premier Grand Cru Classé A, but they have kept the ranking off the label for a number of years, so no change on that level.

The Wine Cellar Insider

99

byJeff Levethe3/4/2025

Ausone, Château

Jeb DUNNUCK

98

byJeb Dunnuckthe2/28/2025

Lastly, the Grand Vin 2022 Château Ausone is based on equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot that spent 20 months in new barrels. Smoky black cherries, mulberries, iron, violets, and spring flower notes are just some of its nuances, and it's deep purple-hued, with full-bodied richness and a surprising level of elegance, purity, and precision. This is one of the more elegant, finesse-driven, yet still incredibly powerful examples of this Château that I can remember. It deserves a decade of cellaring and will evolve for half a century.

Yvesbeck.wine

99

byYves Beckthe2/25/2025

Que de profondeur, de détails, de fraîcheur et de pluralité dans le bouquet d'Ausone. Les nuances de violettes et de réglisse soulignent la subtilité, appuyée par des notes de griottes et de cassis. On a l'impression de survoler la Loire et la Bourgogne, mais c'est bien sur la colline d'Ausone que l'on atterrit ! Le vin est imposant dans son aptitude à briller avec sérénité, avec assurance, sans sourciller, mais avec une expression qui en dit long sur l'éclat sans exubérance, sans bruit. Un vin sapide, gourmand, puissant, gracieux et imposant ! 2029-2060 99/100

Vinous

98

byNeal Martinthe2/12/2025

The 2022 Ausone, which was the earliest-picked ever on September 5 (although that is later than Cheval Blanc) has another very intense bouquet with layers of plush blackberry, blueberry, crushed violet and incense aromas that are beautifully entwined with the 100% new oak. Hints of blood orange emerge with a few minutes in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with silky tannins and perfectly pitched acidity. The slightly higher proportion of Cabernet Franc imparts a touch more pepperiness toward the finish. You can feel this on your tongue long after it has departed. There is a surfeit of freshness on the finish. This is an outstanding Ausone that can look forward to a very long future.

Jamessuckling.com

98

byJames Sucklingthe2/3/2025

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.

Vinous

96

byAntonio Gallonithe1/28/2025

Often a wine of allure, the 2022 Ausone is a brooding powerhouse. Dark-toned fruit, leather, cedar, espresso, dried herbs and chocolate offer palate-staining intensity and volume. I expect the 2022 will require many years to come together, as the tannins are imposing today. This rich, exotic Saint-Émilion needs time.

Wine Maniacs

97-98

byLin Liuthe5/30/2023

Decanter.com

96

byGeorgina Hindlethe5/25/2023

Quite intense nose, strongly perfumed and scented with purple flowers and a mix of red and black fruit. Fragrant with chocolate, tobacco, cedar, cinnamon, crushed stones and liquorice. Aromatically very inviting. Plush and sapid, tannins are ripe but the acidity gives it real tension so you get some intensity of texture and sharpness of fruit on the palate making it a bit serious and tense right now though with lovely detail and lots of precision in terms of tannins and fruit. Mouthwatering acidity is at the fore, really giving some zing and electricity to this while the crushed stones, liquorice and clove spice give the accents around the edges. Clear strength and concentration, such power underneath - you do feel the heat from the alcohol (15.4%!) but the acidity and soft mineral elements help keep the balance and frame though it’s not as demonstrably mineral as some years. Acidity does settle and this expands slowly - keeping the linearity and sense of focus but also giving hints to its power and ageability. Sculpted and well delivered, characterful and confident with long ageing potential. Long finish with graphite, pencil lead and toasted spices on the finish. 3.57pH 85% grand vin, 20,000 bottles. Harvest 5 and 9 September for Merlot, 21 and 27 September for Cabernet Franc. A yield of 38hl/ha. Potential upscore in bottle.

Alexandre Ma

98-99

byAlexandre Mathe5/17/2023

I'm delighted to once again embrace the mesmerizing sea of violets, where one can experience the captivating violet sea breeze and the romantic purple waves. The limestone plateau's water retention capacity worked wonders in 2022, revealing not only a distinct fruitiness but also delicate tannins. I am enamored with its juicy, full-bodied mouthfeel and beguiled by its subtle salty finish; ethereal and modest, infusing the wine with wisdom. To me, Château Ausone 2022 is the embodiment of a celestial nymph and a divinely bestowed elixir. (50% Cabernet Franc, 50% Merlot)

Vinous

95-97

byNeal Martinthe5/17/2023

The 2022 Ausone was picked from 5 to 30 September and matured for 20 months in French oak. These aromatics take a little time to open in the glass. Once they do, they are precise with wilted iris flowers infusing the black fruit and background pencil box and incense hints. The palate is medium-bodied with silver bead acidity threaded through the blackberry and bilberry fruit. Fresh and focused, this Ausone possesses a structured finish with a pinch of black pepper on the finish. Elegant in style, this Ausone almost creeps up in you and seduces, intellectual and persistent in the mouth. Upon departing, I couldn't help wondering if I had witnessed this Saint-Émilion demonstrates its full potential, hence the plus sign against my score. 14.4% alcohol.

The Vintage Journal

97-98

byAndrew Caillard MWthe5/17/2023

Deep colour. Musky plum, paneforte, marzipan roasted almond/ hazel nut hint sesame aromas. Fresh generous sweet fruited wine with dense plum blackbery confit, paneforte flavours and dense fine chocolaty tannins. Some cedar oak notes at the finish. Super concentrated but beautifully balanced wine. 50% Cabernet Franc 50% Merlot 15% alc . 97-98+

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

98-100

byJane Ansonthe5/16/2023

That is intense and concentrated, with fennel, aniseed and liqourice root. Where Chapelle d'Ausone celebrates a wave of opulence in the vintage, this focuses more clearly on black tea, slate, intense black chocolate. Precise and well cut, this is creamy and exuberant without sacrificing elegance and balance. Amazing depths of flavour and grip. A true En Primeur sample where you know you are a long long way from this being ready to drink. The first year, incidentally, of not Premier Grand Cru Classé A, although the ranking has not been featured on the label since 2012. No irrigation at Ausone. 100% new oak. Harvest September 5 to 27. 7.25ha. Conversion to organic farming since 2020, Philippe Baillarguet cellar master, Pauline Vauthier owner and winemaker. Potential 100.

matthewjukes.com

19

byMatthew Jukesthe5/15/2023

The Wine Independent

97-99

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe5/15/2023

The Ausone 2022 is a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc, with a yield of 38 hl/ha. The Merlot was harvested between 5th and 7th September and the Cabernet Franc between 21st and 27th September. It has a pH of 3.57, a TPI of 66, and it is opaque purple in color. The wine is completely closed on the first smell, requiring a lot of swirling to begin to release fragrant notes of dried roses, licorice, cast-iron pan, and cumin seed, giving way to a core of Morello cherries, wild blueberries, and redcurrant preserves. The full-bodied palate is an exercise in elegance, featuring very fine-grained, very firm tannins and breathtaking tension to frame the tightly wound red and black fruit layers, finishing with epic length and mind-blowing complexity. Holding its cards close to its chest, it's a hard wine to read at first glance, yet there's a lot of nuanced sub-text bound within the rock-solid structure. I see this slowly unfolding over many years to become a wine for the ages.

Yvesbeck.wine

94-96

byYves Beckthe5/10/2023

Le caractère floral du bouquet de la Chapelle est déjà un indice lié à la forte proportion de Cabernet Franc (60%). Il est rejoint par des notes de sureau et d'eucalyptus, donc de la fraîcheur également. En bouche le vin est crémeux, élégant, harmonieux. Il est doté de tannins suaves et amples qui offrent un caractère soyeux tandis que l'acidité confère un peu de salinité et de tension en fin de bouche. C'est un Chapelle d'excellent niveau qui a de la chair, du tempérament et de la persistance. Très belle réussite.

Bettane & Desseauve

98

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/10/2023

Encore un zeste sur la retenue, avec ce grain minéral tendu et soyeux, finale majestueuse sur le calcaire, avec une touche à la fois crayeuse et saline. Ce coureur de fond n’a pas encore tout dit : le cru élèvera sans doute sa note dans la prochaine décennie.

Jeb DUNNUCK

96-98

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/10/2023

The Grand Vin from this hallowed terroir is an even split of Cabernet Franc and Merlot that was fermented in wooden vats and will spend 20 months in new barrels. Its saturated purple hue is followed by an up-front, sexy, full-bodied Ausone offering a wealth of fruit as well as notes of black cherries, blueberries, chocolate, scorched earth, and an incredible sense of spring flowers. Concentrated and incredibly pure, with silky tannins on the palate, it has the texture and fruit to almost shine even now but should still evolve for 30 years or more.

Vinous

95-97

byAntonio Gallonithe5/9/2023

The 2022 Ausone is dense, powerful and quite brooding in demeanor. Dark-toned fruit, spice, leather, licorice and dried herbs add to an impression of somber intensity. In so many vintages Ausone is immediately alluring, but the 2022 is a potent, backward wine that is going to require many years to be at its finest. The blend is equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Harvest took place between September 5 and 9 for the Merlot and September 21 and 27 for the Cabernet Franc. The 2022 is a decidedly hedonistic Ausone. Drinking window : 2032-2062

The Wine Cellar Insider

97-99

byJeff Levethe5/5/2023

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.

Wine Advocate

94-96

byWilliam Kelleythe5/2/2023

A blend of equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Ausone unwinds in the glass with aromas of plums, raspberries and cherries complemented by hints of crushed mint and spices, framed by a lavish patina of creamy new oak. Full-bodied, layered and rather muscular, it's deep and concentrated, its vibrant core of fruit framed by a serious chassis of rich, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, saline finish. Given its imposing levels of structuring extract, it will require patience. 94 - 96+

Jamessuckling.com

97-98

byJames Sucklingthe4/19/2023

This is really open with bright and flamboyant aromas of cassis and cherries. Blueberries. Some peaches as well. I don't remember a young Ausone like that. Full-bodied with flamboyant fruit and energy. Very fine tannins. They are there but you don't feel them. Supple but very fruity. And intensely fruity at the end.