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

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

The vineyards of Château Ausone are situated on a limestone hill, a small portion of which consists of a plateau with a thin layer of soil, while the majority of the area lies on the adjacent south-facing slope, where the soil is much deeper. This duality is an undeniable asset that the current owner, Alain Vauthier, has successfully brought to the fore. For the past twenty years, thanks to its harmonious structure and refined texture, Ausone has lived up to its long-standing reputation as the best wine of the appellation and, at times, even of the entire Bordeaux region. Its aging potential is extraordinary.

Decanter

About the wine:

This is a powerful wine whose depth and layers put most of its competitors to shame. You need to sit back in a chair, take your time, and let the flavors unfold. The blueberries and smoky raspberries are so dense that they start out tightly woven; then, as oxygen opens them up, the wine’s body expands and becomes fuller and creamier, adding notes of chocolate and mocha. A hint of limestone is abundantly present throughout the finish, and this is an intelligently constructed wine. As always, Ausone is a true masterpiece in terms of deconstructing and reconstructing a terroir. This 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 is said to have been established in the 14th century on a vineyard dating back to Roman times. Since the Middle Ages, only three families have succeeded one another here, leading up to Alain Vauthier, the current owner and a distant descendant of Pierre Chatonnet, who settled here in 1690. A legendary wine that has remained at the pinnacle (classified as “A” since 1959) thanks to this family continuity. It also owes its reputation to its unique terroir: 7 hectares (with a high proportion of Cabernet Franc) situated on the edge of Saint-Émilion’s clay-limestone plateau, surrounded by a ring of rocks that shields it from the wind. In its two new underground cellars, a wine with remarkable aging potential is crafted; since 2007, it has been produced by Pauline Vauthier (Alain’s daughter) with the assistance of Philippe Baillarguet, the 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 situated midway up the hillside, with a rare collection of mass-selected Cabernet Franc vines (which make up at least half of the final blend), Ausone produces a wine that is both deep and refined, animated by great freshness and endowed with extraordinary velvety smoothness. It only fully reveals its 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, every vintage since 1998 has been particularly successful, with a special mention for the legendary 2005, which reaches a level of absolute perfection. Unfortunately, the château’s wines are virtually impossible to find and command astronomical prices. Since 2005 and Pauline Vauthier’s arrival to oversee winemaking, Ausone’s style—like that of the other Saint-Émilion estates owned by the Vauthier family—has gradually evolved toward greater crispness and a greater emphasis on the fruit’s vibrancy (thanks in particular to a reduction in the percentage of new oak used for aging, 85% instead of 100%).

Vinous

About the wine:

Château Ausone 2020 is exceptional. Usually more flamboyant, this vintage is brimming with lively acidity, deep fruit, and a very solid structure. Aromas of dark red berries, blood orange, pomegranate, rose petals, mocha, and dried herbs waft from the glass. Deep and layered, with magnificent finesse, Ausone is in top form in 2020. What a wine! Readers lucky enough to own a bottle are in for a thrilling experience over the coming decades.

Le Figaro vins

About the wine:

The nose transports you to a room lined with marble and tapestries, with those smoky notes of the open fires from our childhood. On the palate, a burst of ripe fruit enveloped in airy tannins, as silky as fur. Undoubtedly the quintessential example of that gentle power so characteristic of this vintage. 2032–2062

Jean-Marc Quarin

About the wine:

A dark, intense, beautiful, purplish color. The nose is highly aromatic, refined, with pure fruit, complex, noble, and deep. A hint of vanilla against a backdrop of very ripe raspberry. Velvety on the palate at first, complex in the mid-palate, extremely smooth, with incredible aromatic and textural grace; the wine unfolds slowly, juicy and deep. In the very final moments on the palate, it reveals a touch of austerity reminiscent of limestone, as if the vintage had invited it to highlight its origin. This is a wonderful expression of its identity. 2034–2075

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

About the wine:

The wine captivates the senses with its array of floral notes, crushed stone, 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, seamless finish lasts well past 60 seconds and lingers, revealing its essence of minerals and fresh berries. This wine may be the longest-finishing of the vintage. Drink between 2030 and 2075.

Anthocyanes - Yohan Castaing

About the wine:

Very ripe blueberry, with notes of blackcurrant and “al dente” black fruits, along with a very delicate floral undertone. Slightly minty upon aeration. A fleshy, juicy, almost crisp texture despite its density, with sublime tension and remarkable length. Very precise, crystalline, and fresh tannins. A wine that expresses itself through delicacy, precision, and freshness, with a more charming and rounded character. Very airy. A slightly different style, yet still grounded in the fundamentals of precision, aromatic freshness, and tension. An Ausone that will go down in history for both its uniqueness and its excellence.