95 Robert Parker
Is the 1999 Ausone the wine of the vintage? Dense purple color, a compelling bouquet of licorice, minerals, black and blueberry liqueur, extraordinary delineation, high tannin, superb extract, and phenomenal richness all are the stuff of a legend. This wine seems impossible to have emerged from a vintage like 1999. Proprietor Alain Vauthier produced only 20,000 bottles because he eliminated one-fourth of the tiny crop. The result is out-and-out fabulous, but the wine needs 12-15 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2050.
95 Robert Parker
Is the 1999 Ausone the wine of the vintage? Dense purple color, a compelling bouquet of licorice, minerals, black and blueberry liqueur, extraordinary delineation, high tannin, superb extract, and phenomenal richness all are the stuff of a legend. This wine seems impossible to have emerged from a vintage like 1999. Proprietor Alain Vauthier produced only 20,000 bottles because he eliminated one-fourth of the tiny crop. The result is out-and-out fabulous, but the wine needs 12-15 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2050.
18 Rene Gabriel
16: Magnum. Füllniveau; perfekt. Zeigt eine unglaublich tiefe und ebenso jugendliche Farbe. Vom Bouquet her ist da «sehr gut Kirschen essen», denn die Frucht strahlt sehr viele schwarze Kirschenaromen aus, also noch eine sehr präsente, blau- bis schwarzbeerige Frucht vermittelnd. Im Gaumen sehr feine Tannine zeigend, gibt sich sehr elegant und lang. Ein absoluter Ausone-Geheimtipp. Oder war es die Magnum? Aber das, was in diesem Gabriel-Glas war, verdiente absolut diese tolle Wertung: 19/20!
18 Rene Gabriel
16: Magnum. Füllniveau; perfekt. Zeigt eine unglaublich tiefe und ebenso jugendliche Farbe. Vom Bouquet her ist da «sehr gut Kirschen essen», denn die Frucht strahlt sehr viele schwarze Kirschenaromen aus, also noch eine sehr präsente, blau- bis schwarzbeerige Frucht vermittelnd. Im Gaumen sehr feine Tannine zeigend, gibt sich sehr elegant und lang. Ein absoluter Ausone-Geheimtipp. Oder war es die Magnum? Aber das, was in diesem Gabriel-Glas war, verdiente absolut diese tolle Wertung: 19/20!
94 Wine Spectator
Offers opulent aromas of meat, toasty oak and ripe berries, almost roasted in character. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins, but a rich and dried fruit aftertaste. Shows lots of new wood. Amazing concentration here. Endless wine for the vintage. Still needs time.—'89/'99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Best after 2011. –JS
94 Wine Spectator
Offers opulent aromas of meat, toasty oak and ripe berries, almost roasted in character. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins, but a rich and dried fruit aftertaste. Shows lots of new wood. Amazing concentration here. Endless wine for the vintage. Still needs time.—'89/'99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Best after 2011. –JS