Château Ausone Saint-Emilion 2020 - 1er Grand Cru Classé A

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

The vineyards of Château Ausone are located on a limestone hill, a small part of which is a plateau with a thin layer of soil, while most of the vineyards are on the adjacent slope, facing south with much deeper soil. This duality is an undeniable asset that the current owner, Alain Vauthier, has been able to magnify. For twenty years, thanks to its harmonious composition and refined texture, Ausone has justified its long-standing reputation as the best wine in the appellation and sometimes even in the whole of Bordeaux. Its longevity in the bottle is extraordinary.

Decanter

About wine:

This is a powerful wine, whose depth and layers dwarf most of its competitors. You need to sit down, take your time, and let the flavors unfold. The blueberries and smoked raspberries are so dense that they start out knitted together, then, as the oxygen opens them up, the body of the wine expands and becomes fleshier and creamier, adding notes of chocolate and mocha. The limestone scraping is present in abundance throughout the finish, and it is an intelligently constructed wine. As always, Ausone is a true masterpiece in terms of dismantling and reassembling a terroir. It is a great wine. First year of official conversion to organic farming. 2028-2048

Guide Hachette des vins

About the estate:

Named after the Latin poet who lived in Saint-Émilion in the 4th century, Ausone was established in the 14th century on a vineyard dating back to Roman times. Since the Middle Ages, only three families have owned the estate, until Alain Vauthier, the current owner, a distant descendant of Pierre Chatonnet who settled here in 1690. This legendary wine has remained at the top (classified as A since 1959) thanks to this family continuity. It also owes its success to its unique terroir: 7 hectares (including a high proportion of Cabernet Franc) located on the edge of the clay-limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion, surrounded by a belt of rocks that shelter it from the wind. In its two new underground cellars, a wine with astonishing aging potential is born, produced since 2007 by Pauline Vauthier (Alain's daughter) with the help of Philippe Baillarguet, cellar master.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the estate:

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

On just 7 hectares ideally located halfway up the hillside, with a rare collection of mass-selected Cabernet Franc grapes (which make up at least half of the final blend), Ausone produces a wine that is both deep and refined, infused with great freshness and endowed with extraordinary velvety smoothness. It only reveals its full potential after ten to fifteen years of aging and, in great vintages, is capable of evolving over several decades. Under the wise and visionary leadership of its owner Alain Vauthier, all vintages since 1998 have been particularly successful, with a special mention for the legendary 2005, which has reached a level of absolute perfection. Unfortunately, the château's wines are almost impossible to find and fetch stratospheric prices. Since 2005 and the arrival of Pauline Vauthier as winemaker, the style of Ausone, like that of the other Saint-Émilion properties belonging to the Vauthier family, has slowly evolved towards greater crispness, highlighting the brightness of the fruit (thanks in particular to the reduction in the percentage of new barrels used for aging, 85% instead of 100%).

Vinous

About wine:

Château Ausone 2020 is exceptional. Usually more flamboyant, it is bursting with lively acids, deep fruit, and a very solid structure. Dark red fruits, blood orange, pomegranate, rose petals, mocha, and dried herbs escape from the glass. Deep and layered, with magnificent finesse, Ausone is in great shape in 2020. What a wine! Readers who are lucky enough to own it are in for an exciting experience over the next few decades.

Le Figaro vins

About wine:

A nose that transports you to a room covered in marble and tapestries, with smoky notes reminiscent of the fires in our childhood homes. On the palate, ripe fruit enveloped in airy tannins, as silky as fur. Undoubtedly the perfect example of the gentle power so characteristic of this vintage. 2032-2062

Jean-Marc Quarin

About wine:

Dark, intense, beautiful purple color. Very aromatic nose, refined, pure fruit, complex, noble, and deep. Slightly vanilla notes on a background of very ripe raspberry. Velvety on the palate, complex in the middle, extremely smooth, with incredible aromatic and tactile grace, the wine develops slowly, juicy and deep. In the very last moments on the palate, it shows a touch of austerity reminiscent of limestone, as if the vintage had invited it to highlight its origin. This is a wonderful identity. 2034-2075

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

About wine:

The wine captivates the attention with its display of flowers, crushed stones, black, red, and blue fruits, espresso, and thyme. It takes a little persuasion and patience, but the palate is incredibly deep, pure, refined, and lively. The wine gently coats the palate with layers of black fruit and dark red fruit infused with salt. The deep, consistent finish lasts over 60 seconds and continues to reveal its essence of minerals and fresh berries. This wine could be the longest of the vintage. Drink between 2030 and 2075.

Anthocyanes - Yohan Castaing

About wine:

Very ripe and blueberry, notes of blackcurrant, "al dente" black fruits with a very delicate floral structure. Slightly minty when aerated. Fleshy, juicy texture, almost crunchy despite its density, with sublime tension and remarkable length. Very precise, crystalline, and fresh tannins. A wine that expresses itself with delicacy, precision, and freshness, with a more charming and rounded side. Very airy. A slightly different aesthetic, but still with the fundamentals of precision, aromatic freshness, and tension. An Ausone that will go down in history for both its uniqueness and its excellence.