Château Ausone 2016

Superb aromas of flowers and spices, perfectly harmonious, with class, depth, substance and remarkable length, tannins of pronounced precision and long‑lasting freshness. All components are ideally interwoven.

The incredible succulent power in Ausone puts a different perspective on other wines, as it so often does. The epitome of perfumed finesse. The yield is up at 40hl/ha, high for these poor limestone soils, and the remarkable clarity of expression that runs right through the delicate but fleshy raspberry and smoke-tinged palate is helped by a pH of 3.5 (compared to 3.6 last year). In my book this counts as one of the truly exciting signatures of the vintage and that is only boosted by the limestone terroir. Stunning, with enormous persistency and a finish that just doesn't want to quit. From a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc, aged in 80% new oak barrels. 98-100 points.

Great nose of red fruit with just a hint of pomegranate. So poised and precise for a wine with this much concentration and structure. The richness is welded to a stack of fine tannins that gives this a stunning balance of ripeness and vitality. Very long, focused finish that has a lot of drive, without being a jot domineering. Drink or hold. Château Quintus vertical tasting. SP.

The 2016 Ausone is magnificent. Seamless and supple, the 2016 hovers with striking aromatic nuance and layers of finely knit fruit that gradually open in the glass. A whole range of floral and citrus notes perks up the sweet red/purplish berry fruit, with hints of lavender, blood orange and jasmine that develop as the wine sits in the glass. The 2016 is a bit reserved today, but it is unquestionably very, very beautiful.

Deep, dark garnet in color, you are instantly hit with a unique note of flowers and crushed rocks as you first nose the wine. On the palate, it tastes and feels like liquefied essences of rocks and perfectly ripe, dark pit fruit and blackberries. The wine has symmetry. Everything is in balance between the fruit, tannins, and acidity. The seamless finish, with its non-stop waves of fruit, coats your palate in all the right ways. The wine stays with you for over 60 seconds! From a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot, this is one of the wines of the vintage. If you have cash, and the time to wait for maturity, this is a future legend in the making!

Deep dark ruby core with purple reflections and a bright, narrow rim. Small dark berry fruits, a touch of nougat and tangerine, subtle hints of noble wood – a multi-faceted bouquet. Juicy, very elegant, ripe cherry fruit with fine, supporting tannins. Great freshness, silky, light-footed style, salty-lemon nuances on the finish and very long. Excellent ageing potential.

Intense nose, pure, mineral, with lovely ripe dark berries, violet and wet stone. Grainy tannins, dense yet fresh with lovely proportions, savoury dark fruit, with sage and aniseed; fresh blackberry and cassis notes linger, with some stony/chalky nuances on the finish—tremendously long, vibrant and impressive.

The 2016 Château Ausone is up with the crème de la crème of the vintage and isn’t far off the thrilling 2015, although it shows a more seamless, elegant character. Loads of spice, crushed violets, floral notes and subtle oak give way to a full-bodied beauty that has thrilling cassis and black raspberry fruits, polished tannins, perfect balance, and a great, great finish. This thrilling Ausone needs 4–6 years of bottle age but will keep for 30 years or more.

(50% Cabernet Franc, 50% Merlot, 40 hl/ha, production 25,000 bottles) Fresh, complex, velvety, dense bouquet with assorted berries, blueberries, mint, herbs, redcurrant, fine woods, pralines. Tightly woven, multi-layered, elegant, finely detailed palate with dense, velvety, sweet fruit, plenty of fine tannin, concentrated, diverse aromatics, elegant, dense, finely muscular structure, very long, dense, aromatic, fresh finish with plenty of lingering flavors. 20/20 2025 - 2050

Hefty, structured tannins, dark chocolate, espresso and liquorice root. This is powerful, the quality and complexity in full evidence from beginning to end, unrolling in waves and using its pumice-stone and slate-edged structure to climb towards a mouthwatering finish. A wine that I have tasted twice in the past two months, and you feel it is both barely showing its hand, and yet already effortlessly asserting its brilliance. 40 hl/ha, 80% new oak. Harvest October 10–19, pH 3.5.

The 2016 Ausone is a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot, with a deep garnet-purple color. It is incredibly closed at first, offering glimpses of juicy blackberries, plum preserves, and cedar chest, before unfurling to reveal a whole array of exotic spices, sandalwood, violets, and crushed rock notes, plus a touch of smoked meats. Medium to full-bodied, the palate starts off very closed and tightly knit, delivering peeks of mineral, floral, and opulent spice accents, with a rock-solid framework of grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing with epic length. It needs a good 8 years or more, but should cellar for at least another 40!

An equal-parts Merlot–Cabernet Franc blend, it asserts the harmony of its contours, with the disarming spontaneity that now defines it. The fruit remains crisp from start to finish, despite a certain aromatic mutedness. As accomplished as in 2015 and in the same vein, it shows more restraint in 2016.

A nose of exquisite, piercing depth, with black and blue fruit aromas of infinite purity that evolve toward enticing sandalwood notes. The palate mirrors this framework with blackcurrant, blackberry and black cherry jam, yielding a wine that is at once rounded, juicy, and of exceptional fluidity…

Deep purple-violet. A fascinating nose of depth and complexity, with a subtle interplay of chocolaty, minty, fruity and mineral notes… and I almost forgot the floral side :D The attack is juicy, charming, and all finesse. On the palate, Ausone reveals itself in a subtle, delicate way, yet also with a certain pride, insofar as not everything is owed, at least not immediately, to the one who brings it to their lips! As the minutes pass, the acidic structure takes the lead, giving Ausone breed and tension, while the tannins carry the power. The result is a breathtaking synthesis of finesse, softness, fruit, breadth and authenticity. Ausone is, once again, masterful, imposing, and so refined! A kind of poet of the 21st century with ambitions to see the 22nd! An Ausone of exceptional finesse—indeed, I was going to say rare finesse—but truth be told, there is nothing rare about Ausone being fine; rarity lies rather in the cellar.

Logo on the cork: A in a circle (Amorim) Dark, intense, and bright color. Very aromatic nose, highly refined and very deep, with ripe and very subtle fruit. Charming from the first sip, very smooth and velvety mid-palate, with a supple body yet a framework of unwavering solidity; the wine lingers on the mid-palate, then melts before unraveling with the saliva, sophisticated in its progression, rare in its poise, complex and deep in its aromas. Incredible! I’ll add that it’s extremely rare in tasting to encounter red wines that are both rich and taut. In principle, a low pH prevents the wine from settling on the mid-palate. Not here and not in 2016!

Kunz barrel sample 17: (50% Cabernet Franc, 50% Merlot, 40 hl/ha, production 25,000 bottles) Fresh, complex, velvety, dense bouquet with assorted berries, blueberries, mint, herbs, red currant, fine woods, pralines. A tightly woven, multilayered, elegant, finely structured palate with dense, velvety, sweet fruit, plenty of fine tannins, concentrated, varied aromatics, an elegant, dense, finely muscular structure, and a very long, dense, aromatic, fresh finish with plenty of afterflavors.

Beautifully structured, this wine has elegance despite its heft and richness. It has the enticing acidity of the year as well as concentration and generous, spicy, perfumed Cabernet Franc. This is a wine to age and it will not be ready before 2025.