Wine Advisor
Ausone 2005
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2005 Ausone is a perfect wine of the vintage. It displays crushed rock, spring flowers, blueberry and blackberry fruit, a full-bodied mouthfeel, stunning purity and richness, and perfect harmony among all of its component parts (acidity, tannin, wood, alcohol and extract). Still youthful, but oh, so promising, this wine should be set aside for another decade and drunk over the following 50-75 years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Ausone vertical in London. A very deep, limpid garnet core with purple/ruby rim, extremely youthful in appearance for a 2005. The bouquet is extraordinarily pure, brilliant definition, with notes of black plum, damson, blueberry, vanilla pod and cedar and wrapped up in a lot of new oak. Coming back after a few minutes there is an intriguing aroma of baked bread. The palate is full-bodied, very good weight, harmonious with silky smooth tannins. Here, there is a bewitching crescendo of flavours although you feel that this wine is still wearing its corset. Black cherries, a touch of lime zest and cassis towards the finish. Primal, powerful and compelling...but it needs another ten years. Drink 2018-2035+ Tasted December 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
La Chapelle d’Ausone only hints at what purchasers will find in the 2005 Ausone, a 50- to 100-year wine whose production consists of a mere 15,000 bottles. Black as a moonless night with a soaring nose of spring flowers, creme de cassis, melted licorice, truffles, and blueberries, it is incredibly intense with extremely high extract, tannin, and alcohol, yet is unbelievably delicate and light on its feet for such a massive wine. This is a brilliant winemaking achievement from an extraordinarily hallowed terroir on the southern hillside slopes of St.-Emilion. The 2005 will not be ready to drink for 15-20 years, but in a hundred years, wine lovers will still be singing its praises. An amazing accomplishment! Alain Vauthier has accomplished such extraordinary things at Ausone over the last few vintages, it is difficult to imagine the 2005s might be the pinnacle of his achievement. However, Vauthier never rests on the status quo ... so who knows?
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Quite simply, in a different league to everything else that I tasted that previous hour (which included Le Pin and Petrus.) A dense, almost startling nose: layers of ripe black fruits interlaced with violets. Incredible purity. The palate does not disappoint, with a focus and precision that most wines could only drown about. Filigree tannins, wave after wave of pure blackberry and cassis. Silky texture and a finish that continues on forever. Difficult to find fault, save for the price it will ultimately gain. Awesome, even better than the 2000 at this stage. Tasted April 2006.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
I’m not going out on a limb saying the 2005 Ausone is better than the 2003, 2000, etc., but it is certainly at the same level. It is a wine of great intensity with extraordinary extract as well as a seamless integration of huge levels of tannin and alcohol. Amazingly deep and multilayered, but so ethereal it must be tasted to be believed, it is a rich, full-throttle offering that should outlive us all. It should not be consumed before 2020, but I suspect 95% of it will be long gone by then. Kudos to Alain Vauthier for pushing the envelope as far as anyone in Bordeaux is doing today. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2100!
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A tiny production of just over 1,300 cases will make the 2005 Ausone impossible to find, but proprietor Alain Vauthier continues to exhibit the Midas touch with his perfectionist efforts at this estate. This brilliant, blue/black-hued offering reveals an extraordinarily youthful, but promising nose of incense, blueberries, blackberries, currants, licorice, and crushed rocks. This intense 2005 boasts powerful, super-layered, multidimensional flavors 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. Anticipated maturity: 2030-2080+.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Château Ausone 2005 has a very backward bouquet at first, but it soon loses any inhibitions it might have had, offering blackberry, clove, a touch of balsamic, quite high-toned with just a hint of VA giving it lift. The palate is medium-bodied and sports a slightly lactic entry: hints of dark chocolate infusing the lavish red and black fruit with a long sweet finish. Alain Vauthier crafted a delicious, sensual Ausone although it’s just lost a little of the breeding I felt it had during its early years and perhaps that is highlighted by juxtaposing it against the Cheval Blanc.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted single blind at Southwold. A very well defined nose, dark cherry, cassis and Doris plum with some very classy, new oak integrated into the bouquet. Building beautifully in the glass. The palate is full-bodied, svelte with seamless tannins, opulent but controlled, top quality new oak, very primal but showing good complexity on the finish. Modern style Saint Emilion, awesome poise and length. Drink 2015-2040. Tasted January 2009.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2005 Ausone is magnificent. A wine of soaring intensity and class, the 2005 dazzles from the very first taste. The aromatics alone are captivating, with notes of cinnamon, mint, crushed rocks, blood orange, mocha and incense. Graceful and stately in bearing, the 2005 boasts tremendous purity and breathtaking balance. Readers will find a stunning Saint-Émilion that is just at the beginning of what promises to be a very long drinking window that will be measured in decades. It is a towering achievement from the Vauthier family.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Deep ruby-red. Penetrating aromas of cassis and minerals. The nose does not prepare one for this huge, improbably sweet, palate-saturating wine, whose pungent minerality and epic intensity makes it solid as a rock. The three-dimensional texture here is uncanny, and the wine's explosive finishing flavors of dark berries, bitter chocolate and minerals persist for minutes. This must be one of the three or four greatest young Bordeaux I've ever tasted. The numbers here: 14.28% alcohol, 3.55 pH and an IPT between 80 and 85. This will go on for several decades, and I would not be at all surprised if it shut down in bottle for a very long time.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Deep ruby-purple. Multidimensional nose melds blackberry, black cherry, minerals, graphite, violet and exotic tropical chocolate; compellingly sappy and vibrant. In the mouth, there are rock-solid dark berry and mineral flavors of extraordinary depth and verve. Wonderfully classy and fine-grained, with an impression of racy acidity. Finishes with a major mouthful of fat, suave tannins and great palate-staining persistence. Massively structured yet without excess weight.
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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