Wine legends

St-Emilion 1GCCA, Bordeaux, France

Château Ausone 2005

a legend because…

Ausone was one of the appellation’s top growths, until that exclusive band was expanded in 2012. Its history dates back many centuries; Bordeaux expert David Peppercorn MW recalls a tasting that included 17 vintages from the 19th century. The early 20th century also produced some remarkable wines, but a dull patch after 1945, followed by disputes among the owning families and winemakers, did not result in a golden period for Ausone. Since 1995 quality has soared and remained consistent. Ausone’s superb location, outstanding soil and scrupulous viticulture all contribute to its fabulous quality.

Looking back

From 1985 Alain Vauthier was co-owner of the estate, but often found himself in conflict with the other co-owner, Heylette DuboisChallon. By 1995 he was the sole director of the property, and two years later became sole owner, although Dubois-Challon had the right to inhabit the château until her death. Alain drily remarks: ‘This short period was nothing compared to the three centuries during which my ancestors were here.’ In 2005 his daughter, Pauline Vauthier, joined him.

The vintage

Climatic conditions were close to ideal in 2005. Flowering was unproblematic, and the summer proved hot and sunny, with a little rain in August and early September. This rainfall refreshed the vines and prevented hydric stress. The harvest took place under cloudless skies, yielding wines that were rich, tannic, and with a low pH that should ensure a very long life.

The terroir

The tiny 7ha vineyard lies in a kind of amphitheatre beneath the château and cellars. Alain has maintained an average vine age of some 50 years, favouring very high-density planting, green-harvesting and deleafing. The small size of the vineyard allows him to harvest selectively. Cabernet Franc grows in just over half the vineyard, the remainder being Merlot. The higher part of the property is on the celebrated limestone plateau of St-Emilion, the remainder on steep slopes with more clay. In 2018 Pauline initiated conversion into organic viticulture, to result in certification in 2021.

The wine

Grapes are sorted in the vineyard; there is also a sorting machine at the winery, though it would have stood idly by in sunny 2005. The bunches are cold-soaked for a few days, then the temperature is gently raised until fermentation begins with indigenous yeasts in large wooden vats. The wine spends up to five weeks in those vats before being moved to new barrels for an ageing of around 21 months.

The reaction

Robert Parker Jr was enthusiastic in the Wine Advocate in 2008: ‘Boasts powerful, superlayered, multi-dimensional flavours with tremendous extraction, yet they come across as incredibly sublime, even delicate for such a stunningly concentrated, full-bodied effort. A masterpiece of concentration and balance, it will no doubt be drinking well a century from now.’

In 2015 Neal Martin commented on RobertParker.com: ‘A delicious, sensual Ausone, although it’s just lost a little of the breeding I felt it had during its early years.’

Michael Schuster wrote in the same year: ‘A very long-term Ausone, still youthfully marked by its new oak, but which will be a beauty given sufficient time.’

Jancis Robinson MW tasted the wine blind in 2017: ‘More austere than some, but lovely freshness. Everything in its place. Long and prancing on the palate.’

Also tasting in 2017, Jeff Leve noted: ‘Powerful, yet refined, this is quite tight at the moment... Give it at least another decade and a few hours of air, and the magic should happen.’

The facTs

Bottles produced 18,000 Composition 55% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot Yield 30hl/ha Alcohol 14% Release price N/A Price today £ 1,202-£ 2,093