Fragt kr. 49,- Fri fragt v/ køb over kr. 1999
Château Ausone er et af de mest legendariske navne i Bordeaux – et sted, hvor vin, historie og poesi smelter sammen. Navnet er en hyldest til den romerske digter Decimus Magnus Ausonius, som i 300-tallet beskrev landskabet og vinen omkring Bordeaux med en hengivenhed, der stadig genlyder i dag. Meget tyder på, at hans egen ejendom, Lucaniacum, lå netop her på klippeskråningen under Saint-Émilion. Gennem århundrederne har mennesker arbejdet i den lyse kalksten, Roc Blancan, hvor både boliger, kældre og vinmarker har fået liv. Dybt under jorden strækker gamle tunneller sig som et tavst vidnesbyrd om to tusind års vinavl, og det er her, Ausones vine modner i ro, omgivet af fugt, kølighed og stilhed.
Ejendommen har siden 1600-tallet været i hænderne på familien Vauthier, der stadig lever efter et simpelt princip: vinmagerens vigtigste opgave er at træde til side og lade naturen tale. I dag viderefører Alain Vauthier og datteren Pauline den tradition med samme omhu, som generationer før dem. De blot syv hektar marker ligger som terrasser hugget ind i klippen og dyrkes nænsomt efter økologiske og biodynamiske principper. Jordbunden består af kalksten og ler, og sammenspillet mellem Cabernet Franc og Merlot skaber en vin med sjælden harmoni – intens, mineralsk og silkeblød på én gang. Château Ausone er essensen af Saint-Émilions kalkstenshjerte, mens 2. vinen, Chapelle d’Ausone, giver et smukt, mere umiddelbart udtryk af det samme enestående terroir.
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BEPLANTNING
Merlot 45%, Cabernet Franc 55%
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AREAL
7,25 hektar
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SLOTTETS ANDEN VIN
Chapelle d’Ausone
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EJER
Alain Vauthier
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LINK
The last year that Ausone will be recorded as a Premier Grand Cru Classé A, and it delivers fragrant tomato leaf and peony aromatics, studded with fennel and white pepper, cold ash, saffran, oyster shell, pomegranate and brambled loganberry frruit. Medium bodied plum colour, plenty of depth through the mid palate. This is right up there with the very best of 2021, and manages to convey the signature of the limestone soils at Ausone, with their grip and understated sense of playfulness. Clear winemaking skill on display, not trying to outrun the vintage, while still bearing the fingerprints of a cooler year. Harvest September 30 to October 6, 90% new oak (down from the usual 100%), 2nd year conversion to organic, Philippe Baillarguet cellar master. Average vine age 55 years. A tough year for this stable of wines - with no release of Simard, Haut Simard, Fonbel nor Moulin St Georges (final decision has been taken over ageing, although a few bottles will be kept at the estate for library purposes). 23hl/h yield.
The 2021 Ausone is a gorgeous wine, but it is also quite reticent and in need of time to come around. The operative word here is balance, as all the elements are so well put together. Soft, gentle contours wrap around a core of succulent red/purplish fruit, blood orange, spice, lavender, rose petal and dried herbs. The 2021 is compelling.
The 2021 Ausone was the fruit of a challenging growing season, the estate's second year in organic conversion coinciding with notable diseases pressure, but the resulting blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot (featuring a touch more Cabernet Franc than normal) was one of the most seductive wines of the en primeur campaign, its exotic perfume and crystalline purity evoking the great Ausone vintages of yesteryear and offering an unvarnished representation of this superb limestone terroir. In bottle, the 2021 remains an excellent wine, but at least out of the gates, its élevage (in 90% new oak, predominantly from Demptos and Taransaud, with four rackings) has taken the lead, intermingling aromas of vanilla, spices and toast with discreet notes of minty dark berries, cherries, petals and pencil shavings. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and fleshy, with an ample and enveloping core of fruit that retains its energy and purity but which gives way to a finish marked by somewhat assertive barrel tannins. Given the inherent quality of the wine and the terroir, I'm sure time will be kind to it, but I'm not quite sure it will ever realize the magical potential it showed in April 2022. 94+