Chateau Ausone Saint-Emilion 2021 i trækasse

Markus del Monego MW

"A great wine, quite unique in style, with outstanding precision, extra-ordinary"

Tastingbook.com

Christer Byklum

Silky smooth, velvet, detailed, elegant and refined, the texture is unbelievable in this wine, beautiful! A very graceful wine

Robert Parker

"A blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot, the 2021 Ausone is a strong candidate for the title of wine of the vintage. Wafting from the glass with aromas of wild blueberries and raspberries mingled with rose petals, violets, exotic spices, vine smoke and blood orange, it's full-bodied, seamless and sensual, with a satiny attack that segues into a deep, layered mid-palate of breathtaking precision and intensity without weight. Built around bright acids and ultra-refined tannins and concluding with a resonant, perfumed finish, this profound young Ausone represents the essence of this great limestone terroir. I am not in the habit of drinking six-month-old Bordeaux cask samples, but this is one wine that would have sorely tempted me to make an exception to that rule if my appointment at the estate hadn't been one of the first of the day!"

Wine Advocate

A blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot, the 2021 Ausone is a strong candidate for the title of wine of the vintage. Wafting from the glass with aromas of wild blueberries and raspberries mingled with rose petals, violets, exotic spices, vine smoke and blood orange, it's full-bodied, seamless and sensual, with a satiny attack that segues into a deep, layered mid-palate of breathtaking precision and intensity without weight. Built around bright acids and ultra-refined tannins and concluding with a resonant, perfumed finish, this profound young Ausone represents the essence of this great limestone terroir. I am not in the habit of drinking six-month-old Bordeaux cask samples, but this is one wine that would have sorely tempted me to make an exception to that rule if my appointment at the estate hadn't been one of the first of the day!

Decanter

Vibrant red berry notes on the nose, fragranced damson, blueberry, plum, some wild flower and dried flower touches. Smooth and so silky on the palate, round and gently mouth filling with graphite edges that appear almost straight away. You get that nuance of wet stone and chalk but so well balanced with charming, juicy cherry and blackcurrant fruit on the palate. So perfectly smooth and balanced, silky tannins give the powdery finish while the well-balanced acidity gives the energy underneath. It’s incredibly captivating because you get these waves of flavour and a gentle lick of stone that reminds you you're in St-Emilion on pure limestone. Such verticality and an aerial quality to this with flavours that continue to lift the entire way through. Sustained but graceful with a shy sense of power. Brilliant winemaking for the vintage.

Jane Anson

Violet edging, jewel red depths. There is austerity on the tannins here, but also great depths through the palate, with controlled but juicy loganberry and raspberry fruits, and waves of saffron, creamy red-fruit puree, crushed rock, cold ash and salt-cracker salinity. Subdued, with hidden power and complexity. A tough year for this stable of wines - or rather proof of their exceptionally high standards, making a half production of Simard, no Haut Simard, tiny amounts of Fonbel and almost certainly no Moulin St Georges. The last year that Ausone will be recorded as a Premier Grand Cru Classé A, before publication of the new ranking in September 2022. Harvest September 30 to October 6, 100% new oak. In conversion to organic farming since 2020, Philippe Baillarguet cellar master. Average vine age 55 years.

Alexandre Ma

Elegant, graceful, every drop of Ausone 2021 presents the elegance of Audrey Hepburn. If Chapelle d’Ausone 2021 shows the adamancy of the Vauthier family, Ausone 2021 comprehensively interprets their understanding of the terroir, “harmonizing with nature”, and the “trade-off” philosophy. Apart from the signature delicate violet fragrance, this wine also boasts fresh and crisp berry aromas. When the juicy cherry, mellow blueberry, and fresh waxberry danced on my tongue, I almost jumped to my feet and went into a tap dance. Who says a difficult year would not yield a nonpareil wine? Ausone 2021 writes an extraordinary story of high-ratio Cabernet Franc. That is how good it is. For me, it boasts the unyielding pride like Chinese plum blossoms in the cold winter.

Andrew Caillard MW

Medium-deep crimson. Complex dark plum, dark chocolate, espresso aromas with herb garden notes. Richly flavoured dark plum, praline roasted chestnut toasty flavours, fine plentiful chalky tannins. Firm and minerally at the finish. Very good mid-palate density and richness. Lovely wine with superb balance and potential longevity. 65% cabernet franc, 35% merlot. Vinification in oak vats, followed by 20 months maturation in French oak.

Anthocyanes Yohan Castaing

Bettane & Desseauve

James Suckling

Full-bodied, but so elegant and fresh, with a silky, elegant tannin texture. Very deep and expansive. Lots going on already with plenty of perfume. Blueberries, cloves, lavender and some wild-berry notes. Dark cocoa, too. Some espresso character at the end. Wonderful interplay of spices and fruit. Long. It keeps going.

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

"Underbrush, smoke, cigar wrapper, espresso, spice, dark cocoa, flowers and the strong sensation of crushed rocks and stones tossed into the Atlantic ocean create the the enticing bouquet. On the palate, the wine is medium/full-bodied, elegant, polished and chalky with layers of sweet, ripe, earthy, red pit fruits, salty tannins, herbs dark chocolate. There is length, minerality and complexity on the mid-palate and a vibrancy to the red fruits with a strong crushed rock influence in the finish. This is a serious candidate for the wine of the vintage. Made from a blend of 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot,12.8% ABV, pH 3.6. The harvest took place from September 30 - October 6. The yields were 30 hectoliters per hectare. Only 1,200 cases were produced this year. Drink from 2028-2065."

VV Wine