2009 Château Ausone, St Emilion, Bordeaux

  • Red
  • Dry
  • Full Bodied
  • Merlot
Ready - youthful
Ian D'Agata
95+/100
Stephen Tanzer
97+/100
James Suckling
100/100
Neal Martin MW
97/100
Jancis Robinson MW
18/20
19.5/20
James Suckling
97-100/100
Robert Parker
98+/100
Jancis Robinson MW
17/20
Product: 20098008785
2009 Château Ausone, St Emilion, Bordeaux

Description

Deep, sensuous blackberry aromas announce the 2009 Ch. Ausone, followed by a seductive, creamy cassis palate dripping with a high level of superbly-crafted tannins that just melt on the tongue. A much darker wine than its junior siblings, this has all the properties of a true Grand Vin that will last for many, many years – and yet the contradiction is that it is still delicious right now! Concentrated, ripe but not confected in the least, this is silky smooth with a mineral presence on the finish worthy of its status. Spellbinding.

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Colour Red
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2009
Maturity Ready - youthful
Grape List Merlot
Body Full Bodied
Producer Château Ausone

Critics reviews

Ian D'Agata 95+/100
A 55/45 blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot; cropped at 27 hectoliters per hectare; pH 3.56; 14.5% alcohol; 100% new oak.Bright, saturated ruby-red. Very cabernet franc- and limestone-driven on the nose, offering enticing scents of red berries, cocoa, spicy minerals and violet. Impressively intense flavours of red and dark berries are complicated by bitter chocolate and minerals. This serious, weighty blockbuster is given great verve by strong, mouthwatering acidity. Substantial but even tannins saturate the palate, and a captivating note of cedar emerges with air. This wine is going to require a lot of time in the cellar but is starting its life with outstanding balance and class.Ian D'Agata, Vinous.com.com (May 2010)
Ian D'Agata, Vinous.com (May 2010)
Stephen Tanzer 97+/100
Bright ruby-red. Serious medicinal reserve to the aromas of iron, violet and coconutty oak. A real mineral bath on the palate, with outstanding concentration and energy to the flavours of dark berries and flowers. Hiding more than it's showing today and is destined for three or four decades of improvement in bottle. The remarkably palate-staining finish features an outstanding tannic spine and grip and a great lift for such a big wine. A knockout, and likely to be a Bordeaux monument.Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com.com (July 2012)
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com (Jul 2012)
James Suckling 100/100
Incredible nose of currants and blueberries. Flowers too. Licorice. Such purity on the nose of Cabernet Franc. Full body, incredible structure, with fabulous tannins and a long, long finish. Built out of stone. The prefect Ausone.Try after 2022james_suckling, jamessuckling_com (March 2012)
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (Mar 2012)
Neal Martin MW 97/100
The 2009 Ausone has a sumptuous bouquet with pure blackberry, raspberry, rose petal and orange blossom aromas. The wine is beautifully defined blossoms with aeration. It becomes very liquorice and menthol-like after 10 minutes’ aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. It is not a powerful 2009 and it feels sleek and quite tensile. Pure red fruit linger in the mouth with a very deft, almost understated finish. So elegant, so Ausone. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting.Drink 2021 - 2050Neil Martin, Vinous.com.com (March 2019)
Neal Martin MW, Vinous.com (Mar 2019)
Jancis Robinson MW 18/20
Rose perfume. Very different from the rest; Tertre perhaps? Lots of fun. Zesty and lifted. Dry finish. Very solid. jancis_robinson_mw MW - JancisRobinson.com - January 2013 Full and gamey and broad and expressive. Very distinctive wine. Still a bit tough and modern and super-focused. Very drying on the end. Quite demanding for now. Drying on the finish. Really quite painful – as though it had been concentrated, or certainly as though the grapes suffered quite a bit of drought stress. Lots of minerality on the finish. Very ambitious. Shades of Pavie 2003? I'm sure many palates will really, really appreciate this wine, and I look forward very much to following its progression as I have the utmost respect for Alain and now Pauline Vauthier interviewed here about the effect of the hail damage her family's vineyards suffered in May. I see the fiche technique specifies a yield of 27hl/ha and 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot but no picking date and I seem to have forgotten to ask. jancis_robinson_mw MW - JancisRobinson.com - April 2010
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2010)
19.5/20
Amazingly focused wine. Long, persistent with extremely fine, filigree tannins. Beautiful texture. Incredible density of fruit behind. Freshness on the palate (55% Cabernet Franc). Absolute harmony. Rivals the outstanding 2005.
Decanter.com
James Suckling 97-100/100
Such a dreamy, perfumed aroma to this wine. Full-bodied, but wonderfully polished and integrated. It touches every millimeter of your palate and the texture makes you want to cry. It touches your soul. Goes on for minutes. Another perfect red? james_suckling - Wine Spectator - Apr 2010
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com (Apr 2010)
Robert Parker 98+/100
A masterpiece in the making, proprietor Alain Vauthier’s 2009 Ausone boasts a dense purple color along with notes of powdered chalk, crushed rocks and wild blue, red and black fruits. Extravagantly rich with great minerality, precision and freshness as well as a voluptuous texture (unusual for a baby Ausone), this is an extraordinary wine. Sadly, there are fewer than 1,200 cases... for the world. robert_parker - Wine Advocate - February 2012
Robert Parker, RobertParker.com (Feb 2012)
Jancis Robinson MW 17/20
Tasted blind. Medium-concentration crimson. Sweet and almost coconut oaky nose. Thick, sweet and attention-grabbing but it does lack a bit of freshness. More to be marvelled at than to refresh. Lots of alcohol.Drink 2017 - 2035jancis_robinson_mw MW, JancisRobinson.com (March 2019)
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (Mar 2019)

About this wine

Merlot

The most widely planted grape in Bordeaux and a grape that has been on a relentless expansion drive throughout the world in the last decade. Merlot is adaptable to most soils and is relatively simple to cultivate. It is a vigorous naturally high yielding grape that requires savage pruning - over-cropped Merlot-based wines are dilute and bland. It is also vital to pick at optimum ripeness as Merlot can quickly lose its varietal characteristics if harvested overripe.
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Château Ausone

Château Ausone is a wine estate in St Emilion on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. It takes its name from the poet Ausonius, who is thought to have owned a villa where the estate stands today – just outside the medieval village of St Emilion. Ausone’s vineyards sit atop St Emilion’s limestone plateau and extend in terraces down the côtes. There are just over six hectares of vines planted today, mostly Cabernet Franc along with Merlot. The team practice organic and biodynamic viticulture though without certification.
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