Chapelle d'Ausone 2016

Exceptionally high levels of Cabernet Franc in this wine in 2016, up to 56%, because the replanted plots are not quite ready for Ausone yet. But wow, this doesn’t feel in any way like a compromise, a clear testament to the quality of the Cabernet Franc in this vintage. This is a second wine that laughs at the term – you would be thrilled to have this on your table and enjoy its distinctive, deep, powerful and beautiful take on a St-Émilion limestone terroir. Floral, well-fleshed-out raspberry and loganberry fruits. This is gorgeous and just keeps on delivering. 56% Cabernet Franc, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot.

Some gently smoky nuances with dark stones and a spicy edge to the ripe blackberries and plums that adds plenty of aromatic interest. The palate delivers a very succulent, smoothly rounded and attractive array of rich fruit in a lively, refreshing and expressively vibrant mode. A blend of 56 percent cabernet franc, 22 percent merlot and 22 percent cabernet sauvignon. Second wine of Ausone. Try from 2023.

With a rich, ruby hue, the wine is floral, smoky, spicy and shows a touch of oak, along with ripe, red-black raspberries and plums. Lusciously textured, with silky tannins and a wealth of sweet, ripe, pure, red fruits, it tastes as good as it feels on the palate. Give it 6–8 years to spread out, for the oak to integrate and the tannins to meld into the wine. Enjoy it for the next decade after that. It is interesting to note the blend, as it was made 56% Cabernet Franc, 22% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Sauvignon. This is unique, as it is the first vintage with such a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend.

Layered and nuanced nose with floral dark fruit, violet, aniseed and tobacco. Dense palate with both freshness and ripeness, complex and layered with a dense long finish.

The second wine of Château Ausone, the 2016 Chapelle d'Ausone is a gem of a wine that will stand up to anything out there. Boasting a deep purple/ruby color and terrific notes of cassis, smoked tobacco, licorice, and bouquet garni, it has a mouthfilling texture, fine tannins, and the purity of fruit that makes this vintage so special. Drink it any time over the coming 15 years or so.

Deep purple with a violet rim. Complex, blueberry-driven bouquet with notes of blueberries and blackberries, backed by rosewood and cassis blossoms. On the palate, powerful with plenty of freshness and a muscular body. The finish shows lots of wild cherry and sloe juice.

Kunz barrel sample 17: (56% Cabernet Franc, 22% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 hl/ha, production 6,000 bottles) Fresh, fragrant, sweet bouquet with raspberry, red cherry, currant, and fine caramel. Delicate, aromatic palate with refined fruit, good tannins, a slightly muscular structure, fresh aromatics, and a subtly bitter finish.

(56% Cabernet Franc, 22% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 hl/ha, production 6,000 bottles) Fresh, fragrant, sweet-scented bouquet with raspberries, red cherries, redcurrants, and a subtle hint of caramel. Delicate, aromatic palate with precise fruit, good tannins, a slightly muscular structure, fresh aromatics, and a finely bitter finish. 17/20 2023 - 2034

Chapelle d’Ausone 2016 is a blend of 56% Cabernet Franc, 22% Merlot, and 22% Cabernet Sauvignon and has a deep garnet-purple color. It needs just a little swirling before boisterous notes of black cherries and boysenberries burst from the glass, followed by notions of juicy black plums, dried mint, star anise, and tar. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is like a tightly coiled spring, featuring tons of black fruit and earthy layers with a firm, fine-grained frame and a long refreshing finish.

A long, finely stretched finish draped in velvet, with vibrant fruit. Here you sense the refinement of the finest Saint-Émilion terroirs in an exceptional vintage for the cru. What’s more, this chapel will be approachable within the next five years.

What a dense robe, with a purple hue and violet highlights. The bouquet reveals itself slowly, with notes of violets, licorice, and spices. On the palate, the wine is creamy, dense, and endowed with finely grained tannins. Such power and finesse from the very first sip. There is pedigree, fruit, and juiciness. All these elements form a beautiful whole, and La Chapelle d'Ausone is a second wine only in name, as it shows the character of a grand cru.

Logo on the capsule: No logo Dark, intense, purple, uniform, beautiful and deep colour. Very aromatic nose, delicate, pure, fruity and complex. Here, oak and fruit come together beautifully. Even more brilliant when the glass is swirled. Caressing on the attack, very finely pulpy, the wine delights the palate, juicy, melting, offering a ripe, velvety flavour. The whole continues to melt on the finish. Then the taste lingers, deep, noble and mysterious. A rare wine.

Deep dark ruby, purple glints, faintly lighter at the rim. Delicate floral nuances underlaid with black forest berries, ripe cherries, a hint of tangerine zest, and background notes of nougat. Complex, tightly woven, fine fruit expression, vivid tannins, ripe sweetheart cherries on the finish, persistent. Possesses good development potential.

This dense bottling, the second wine of Château Ausone, is rich both in tannins and dark berry fruits. Produced from selected parcels and young vines, the wine has rich tannins that are already melding smoothly into the structure and fruit. Drink from 2024.