Wine Advisor
Ausone 1996
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Ausone vertical in London. A dark garnet hue. The nose is more endearing than the bottle served in July, very perfumed and floral with violets, touch of liquorices and boysenberry, gaining intensity all the time, developing a touch of dried apricot. The palate is medium-bodied, the tannins not quite as fine as the 1998, a little chewier, but good acidity and weight. Just a little abrasive towards the finish, quite edgy and tart and lacking the same level of persistency towards the finish. Drink now-2018. Tasted December 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
I do not understand the critics of Alain Vautier, who now has sole control of Ausone and is taking the estate's quality to a higher level. Moreover, the wine is consistent, with great depth and richness on the mid-palate, without sacrificing Ausone's 40-50+ years of longevity. As I suspected, the 1996 is beginning to shut down. I left it in the glass for nearly 30 minutes and was impressed with the nuances that developed. The color is a dense ruby/black/purple. Reluctant aromas of blueberries, blackberries, minerals, flowers, truffles, and subtle new oak eventually emerge. Elegant on the attack, with sweet ripeness, and a delicate, concentrated richness, the hallmark of this wine is subtlety rather than flamboyance. A sweet mid-palate sets it apart from many of the uninspiring Ausones of the eighties and seventies. The wine is stylish, and presently understated, with tremendous aging potential. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2040.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted on three occasions within a two-month period, the 1996 Ausone is an impressive wine, but one that I feel does not reach the heights that Alain Vauthier and latterly his daughter Pauline have reached more recently. Deep and more youthful in color than previous bottles, it delivered a minty, floral, almost Margaux-like bouquet whose intensity has remained undimmed in all the years I have been tasting it. The palate is medium-bodied with a heady attack on the entry, a little warmth here that slightly smudged the delineation, Merlot in the driving seat for the first half and the Cabernet Franc component imparting blueberry and cassis notes on the finish. There is something a little showy about this Ausone -- certainly a very fine Saint Emilion and very respectable considering that this was not a propitious Right Bank vintage. Then again, in retrospect one can view it as a stepping stone to the successes of the 21st century. Tasted February 2015.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Served blind at David Wainwright’s 40th bacchanal in Brighton. This has an intense nose of black fruits, tobacco, seaweed, damp moss and sous-bois, all very well defined and quite alluring. The palate is full-bodied with fine tannins, less raw than four years ago, more harmonious with a saturated mouthfeel. The Cabernet Franc is less dominant than before and this engenders and more sensuous Ausone, although there is a touch of dryness on the cassis-driven finish that is quite Burgundian in texture. Very fine Ausone, although it lacks the breeding of Vauthier’s recent vintages. Drink now-2025. Tasted June 2009.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Paradoxically this appears more mature than the 1998. The nose is more open and expressive with copious black fruits laced with tobacco and dried leaves. The palate is harmonious, full-bodied with good acidity, perhaps a little raw. Blackberry leaf and cassis - a similar flavour profile to the 1998 but with less concentration. The Cabernet Franc seems to dominate the wine on the finish, which is a little brusque. I expected a little more. Tasted January 2005.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A brilliant Ausone, the 1996 displays this property's tell-tale mineral characteristic in its multidimensional bouquet. In addition, there is a plum-like liqueur intermixed with black currants, cold steel, floral, and crushed stone scents. Dense and rich, as well as extremely subtle, this medium-bodied Ausone possesses extraordinary richness, yet no sense of heaviness. It takes the prize for having a rare equilibrium of flavor and structure. As the wine sat in the glass, I was convinced I smelled violets, or something that reminded me of the 1990 Comte de Vogue Musigny. Undoubtedly one of the great wines of the vintage, the 1996 Ausone will require a decade of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2050.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This great Ausone may turn out to be the finest wine made at this property since the 1982. The 1996, which has superb equilibrium, boasts a dense, saturated purple color, as well as a tight but strikingly complex nose of violets, crushed stones, and black and blue fruits. The wine's high tannin is nicely complemented by dense, concentrated, purely delineated fruit that cascades across the palate with intensity, but no heaviness. The wine possesses a velvety component (rare for Ausone), admirably integrated toasty new oak, and exceptional length (more than 35 seconds). The 1996 Ausone will be one of the stars of this classic vintage, but do not expect it to provide near-term satisfaction. This is a wine to lay away for 10-15 years. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2030.
About the Producer
Located in the Saint-Emilion appellation on the right bank of Bordeaux, France, Chateau Ausone is one of only four Saint-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe A estates in the appellation and one of the eight most prestigious estates in Bordeaux. The 7.25 hectares of vineyards at Château d'Orson are oriented to the east or south-east, allowing the vineyards to enjoy the full sun and to be protected from the north-west winds. The vineyard's proximity to the Dordogne, which is regulated by the river, provides an ideal microclimate for the grapes to grow, and the fact that the vineyard was not seriously affected by the severe frosts of 1892 and 1956 is testament to the terroir. While Merlot is the dominant wine in the Saint-Emilion appellation, Cabernet Franc is the preferred wine at Château d'Ausone, with Cabernet Franc planted in the vineyard, supplemented by some Merlot and a very small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon, which is used only for the secondary wines (Chapelle d'Ausone, Saint-Emilion). 'Ausone, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France). The average age of these vines is 52 years, with the oldest vines, planted in the early 20th century, being up to 100 years old and planted at a density of 6,500-12,000 vines per hectare. The soils are predominantly calcareous clay and limestone, which is the main reason for the minerality of the red wines of Château Ausone, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe, France. The organic and biodynamic approach to vineyard management and winemaking at Château Ausone is a commitment to producing wines that express the full character of the terroir. In the vineyards, the staff takes care of the vines, planting fruit trees and aromatic plants, allowing insects, birds and even bats to come and go, in order to release the vitality of the soil and promote the harmony of the entire vineyard ecosystem. During the harvest, the grapes are very carefully selected and only healthy grapes of optimum ripeness are used to make the wine. During the winemaking process, the treated grapes are first subjected to Cold Maceration to extract the pigments and flavours from the skins. Next, alcoholic fermentation takes place in large traditional oak barrels, followed by Malolactic Fermentation in small French oak barrels. After this, the estate's main wines are aged in 100% new oak barrels for up to 24 months, adjusted to the characteristics of the vintage. The wines are aged in the estate's natural limestone cellars, where the humidity and temperature are stable and provide excellent conditions for the wines to age. The wines of Château d'Orson have always been known as "the poet's wine", with a deep colour, very pure aromas of dark fruit, liquorice, flowers and crushed stone, full-bodied but not too heavy, and with great potential for ageing. Robert Parker once said: "If patience is not your virtue, there is no point in buying a bottle of Ouzo". The quality of Château Ouzon's wines has been consistent, with the best vintages including 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2001, 2000 and 1998, to name but a few. In addition, the estate's secondary wine was born in 1995 from a selection of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from the young vines of the estate. Thanks to the limestone soils of the estate, this wine is rich in mineral flavours, with aromas of black cherry, blackberry, cassis and flowers, a full-bodied wine with velvety tannins and a long, impressive finish. With Robert Parker and James Suckling scores of over 90 points in almost all vintages, this wine has long ageing potential.
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