Château Ausone - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2016

Jamessuckling.com

98 / 100

par James Suckling le 04/02/2019

Very exotic and fascinating with dark-berry, floral and violet aromas that follow though to a full body that is tight and polished with ultra-fine and driven tannins. They really are amazing. A wine with such strength and finesse at the same time. Confident and real Ausone. A blend of 50 per cent merlot and 50 per cent cabernet franc. Better after 2025.

Vinous

99 / 100

par Neal Martin le 24/01/2019

The 2016 Ausone was mightily impressive from barrel. Bottled in July 2018, it has a very intense bouquet of black cherries, cassis, cedar and light pencil box aromas emanating from the 50% Cabernet Franc. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, filigreed tannin that belies the density and structure of this Ausone. There is something agile about Alain and Pauline Vauthier's wine this year. Yet the wine also reveals considerable depth and concentration, gently but insistently gripping the palate with a touch of white pepper and Earl Grey toward the persistent finish. There is not a hair out of place on this Ausone ­­– one of the finest produced in recent years.

Vinous

97 / 100

par Antonio Galloni le 21/01/2019

The 2016 Ausone is magnificent. Seamless and supple, the 2016 hovers with striking aromatic nuance and layers of finely-knit fruit that gradually open in the glass. A whole range of floral and citrus notes perk up the sweet red/purplish berry fruit, with hint lavender, blood orange and jasmine that develop as the wine is in the glass. The 2016 is a bit reserved today, but it is unquestionably very, very beautiful.

Wine Advocate

99 / 100

par Lisa Perrotti-Brown le 30/11/2018

The 2016 Ausone is a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it's quite closed at first glance, slowly unfurling to reveal the most incredible perfume of violets, chocolate-covered cherries, warm black plums, Black Forest cake and roasted nuts with suggestions of charcuterie, wood smoke and cedar chest. The medium to full-bodied palate offers a quiet intensity of flavors that grow in the mouth to unveil layer after layer of black and red berries intertwined with beautiful savory notions framed by firm yet velvety tannins, finishing with epic length and amazing energy. It practically tingles on the palate!

Wein Wisser

20 / 20

par René Gabriel le 10/05/2017

Bettane & Desseauve

98-99 / 100

par Bettane & Desseauve le 03/05/2017

Raffinement de texture et plénitude de corps. Un Ausone au fond immense, plus large d’épaule que d’habitude mais avec la même souveraine finesse de tannin. Un géant.

Wine Advocate

98-100 / 100

par Neal Martin le 02/05/2017

The 2016 Ausone is a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc picked 10-14 October and 14-19 October, respectively, at 40 hectoliters per hectare. It is matured in 80% new oak with a light toasting, a move that Alain and Pauline Vauthier have made in recent years just to lessen the impact of the oak. There is a palpable...stateliness about the Ausone this year. It is extraordinarily pure and articulates its terroir as well as any vintage that I can remember over the last 20-odd years. It is not as flamboyant as other Saint Emilions, more correct and precise. The palate is very elegant and precise. I adore the exquisite balance of this Ausone, the precision and fineness of the tannin, the effortlessness that it conveys. This is classy and sophisticated, satin-like in texture with a long and sensual finish. Not an Ausone that is going to blaze across the sky, this is a cerebral, intellectual Ausone that will entrance for many years to come.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

20 / 20

par Jean-Marc Quarin le 28/04/2017

Le meilleur jamais fait ! Couleur sombre, intense, pourpre, unie et belle. Nez intense, fin, extrêmement fruité et complexe. Bouche ample à l'attaque, se développant serrée et pourtant fondante au milieu. Lente évolution puissante, mais toujours en douceur. Le vin se met à fondre, avec une expression unique et captivante. Puis il se relâche dans ses appuis et s'envole dans une très, très grande finale parfumée au grain de tannin magique. Emouvant ! Bravo pour l'avoir fait. 2030 – 2120. Assemblage : 50 % cabernet franc, 50 % merlot. Degré d'alcool : 13,8° (dans la moyenne) – pH : 3,5 (dans la moyenne). Rendement : 40 hl/ha. Production : 25 000 bouteilles.

Vinous

96-99 / 100

par Antonio Galloni le 26/04/2017

A regal, soaring wine, the 2016 Ausone is one of the wines of the vintage. Cabernet Franc aromatics meld into a core of beautifully layered, exquisite fruit. The flavors are bright, lifted and wonderfully focused throughout. Sweet red berry, blood orange, jasmine and sweet spice notes build into a super-expressive, silky finish supported by bright acids and vibrant salinity. Stunningly beautiful and precise, Ausone is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine.

matthewjukes.com

19 / 20

par Matthew Jukes le 25/04/2017

(50 Cabernet Franc, 50 Merlot) | 80% new oak | 40 hl/ha. | 25000 bottles produced This is one of the most aromatic and complete wines of the vintage with exquisite, fleshy, ripe black fruit and stunning oak in perfect harmony. This is not a massive wine, but a long, urgent, determined Ausone with a huge finish which never diminishes it message. The tannins are spicy but not astringent and the acidity is razor sharp and this bodes well for a very long life. On the prettier side of the fence as opposed to the monstrous side, 2016 Ausone is a superb wine with immense grace and style. 19++

Decanter.com

99 / 100

par Jane Anson le 24/04/2017

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. 98-100 points. Drinking Window 2027 - 2050

Jancis Robinson

18 / 20

par Jancis Robinson le 21/04/2017

Deep crimson. Very ripe nose and then rather chewy end. Drying finish. Not charming for the moment - even a little exaggerated. Though there is a broad panoply of fruit flavours that come rather precipitously to a drying end.18+

Wine Enthusiast

98-100 / 100

par Roger Voss le 19/04/2017

Barrel Sample. This wine has the potential to be an 100-point selection. It is hugely rich and perfumed, with 50% Cabernet Franc. It has great intensity and richness, with the promise to age well over so many years. This is one of the largest quantities of Ausone made in recent years thanks to vintage quality. Impressive and for the long-term.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

20 / 20

par Jean-Marc Quarin le 10/04/2017

Jamais je n'ai vu un millésime capable d'autant de merveilles en offrant des vins si différents, si respectueux de l'identité des lieux. Que peuvent partager ensemble ces vins auxquels j'accorde une note parfaite si ce n'est une extrême qualité, mais aussi de l'émotion, différentes émotions ?Dans l'esthétique du goût du vin, Ausone possède un riche référentiel. En particulier la pureté de sa stimulation en bouche, droite, élancée, jamais envahissante, minutieuse dans son enchainement, extrêmement allongée, délicate et pourtant solide et enfin très longue quand scintillent ses arômes. Il ressort souvent de sa dégustation une sensation de mystère qui me fait dire « Tiens, reprenons en un verre ».Pas loin, Lafleur à Pomerol procure ce sentiment. Ailleurs, je ne connais que La Romanée Conti. Très peu de vins possèdent ce don d'être à la fois présent partout et visible nulle part. Ils se réveillent avec le temps. Et là, ça fait Boum pour de très, très longues années.Couleur sombre, intense, pourpre, unie et belle. Nez intense, fin, extrêmement fruité et complexe. Bouche ample à l'attaque, se développant serrée et pourtant fondante au milieu. Lente évolution puissante, mais toujours en douceur. Le vin se met à fondre, avec une expression unique et captivante. Puis il se relâche dans ses appuis et s'envole dans une très, très grande finale parfumée au grain de tannin magique. Emouvant ! Bravo pour l'avoir fait. 2030 – 2120.

Jamessuckling.com

97-98 / 100

par James Suckling le 05/04/2017

This is one of the most subtle and ethereal Ausones I have encountered in a while. It's a full-bodied wine, yet one that's very refined in texture, all the way to the extremely long finish. Shows real dignity and character. A throwback to the great years of the 1950s.