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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
Producer
Château Ausone
Château Ausone has produced wine for close to four centuries in commemoration of the Roman poet, Decimius Magnus Ausonius, who once owned over 40-hectares of vines in Saint-Émilion. A great Right Bank producer, Ausone is one of the only four estates, along with Cheval Blanc, Angélus, and Pavie to be classified as a Premier Grand Cru Classé A-grade property in the appellation. Today, following in direct lineage of 17th century owners the Dubois-Challon-Vauthier family, Alain Vauthier and his daughter Pauline own and manage the estate. Located just outside of the Saint-Émilion village, Ausone owns what is rumored to be the best terroir in Bordeaux, a steep 7-hectare plot perched on a hillside. From 1993 to 2013, famed enologist Michel Rolland worked with the family offering invaluable input on the winemaking approach. These important founding years helped even more to propel this already impressive château to the top ranking producers from around the globe. Ausone is known by its inimitable mineralistic style which is culminated by the massive limestone deposits in the soil. The wines are overall rich, complex, and increasingly oaked.