CHATEAU AUSONE
Château Ausone, located in Saint-Emilion, is classified “A” as Premier Grand Cru, and has belonged to the Vauthier family since the end of the nineties. The estate’s history is really old, and dates back to the 13th century, only 5 families have succeeded each other in the estate’s management. Plus d'information
Découvrez nos millésimes CHATEAU AUSONE
Château Ausone, a rare Saint-Emilion wine
Château Ausone is a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé, one of the most famous and historic of the appellation. The size of its vineyard is fairly small, just 7 hectares, but its limited annual production contributes to its aura of rarity. Journalists and wine critics...
Découvrez nos millésimes CHATEAU AUSONE
Château Ausone, a rare Saint-Emilion wine
Château Ausone is a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé, one of the most famous and historic of the appellation. The size of its vineyard is fairly small, just 7 hectares, but its limited annual production contributes to its aura of rarity. Journalists and wine critics from all over the world agree on the high quality of Ausone's wines, as attested by Robert Parker's perfect score of 100 points for the 2000 vintage.
The history of the fascinating Château Ausone, Bordeaux's elite
The estate's existence dates back to the Middle Ages, and several sources confirm its origins.
Since the 13th century, the estate has been owned by only three major families. From the 13th to 17th centuries, the Lescours family managed the estate, then in the 17th century Jacques de Lescure and his descendants succeeded them, and since the purchase of the estate in 1690 the Chatonnet-Cantenat family has run the Chateau, from which the Vauthier family (the current owners) descended.
During the 20th century, Ausone and its neighbour Château Bélair-Monange belonged to the same owner and shared Ausone's cellars.
The era of the Vauthier family, guardians of Ausone's identity
Between 1970 and 1990, the management of the vineyard was marked by a number of family quarrels between the Dubois-Chalon and Vauthier families. Alain Vauthier and the widow of Jean Dubois-Challon became co-managers in 1987. In 1995, Alain Vauthier was appointed sole director. Despite some fine vintages, 1976, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1989 and 1990, Alain Vauthier admits that the difficult management did not allow him to invest to the extent of his ambitions.
In 1997, Mrs Dubois-Challon sold her shares to the Vauthiers. This change allowed Alain Vauthier to put his genius and his strategy for developing the estate into practice. Alain is supported in his management by his sister Catherine, and since 2005 by his oenologist daughter Pauline. Together, they mark the eleventh generation of winemakers to head Château Ausone.
Château Ausone, a wine with ancient origins
The name of the Château dates back to very ancient times and is said to come from the illustrious Latin poet Decimus Magnus Ausonius, born in 309. Ausonius, who probably owned wine-growing land in Bordeaux around the present-day Domaine d'Ausone, made numerous references to Bordeaux and its fine wines in his verses.
Ausone, a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé
When the Saint-Emilion classification was created in 1954, Château Ausone was classified at the highest level of quality, as a Premier Grand Cru Classé 'A'. However, a few decades later, Ausone decided to leave the classification in 2021. Pauline Vauthier had this to say about the decision: 'We've had reservations about this classification for a long time. Those of you who know my father [Alain Vauthier, editor's note] won't be surprised by this decision, which we've thought about for a long time, as a family.' The reservations concern the evaluation grid contained in the dossier, which places social networks and wine tourism as important criteria and does not give sufficient consideration to the terroir and the quality of the wines. Pauline Vauthier adds, "It's not at all that we consider ourselves above the ranking, or that we don't need it - that would be terribly pretentious. It's just that we no longer recognise ourselves in its criteria" Château Ausone respects the appellation and the work of all the winegrowers, and remains an ambassador for the Saint-Emilion vineyard. In 2022, the Saint-Emilion classification will name new châteaux at the top of the list.
Château Ausone, wines of legendary finesse
Ausone offers two wines: the Grand Vin, Château d'Ausone, and the Second Vin, La Chapelle d'Ausone.
The second wine was created in 1995 and, depending on the vintage, can account for between 10 and 20% of the estate's production. Produced under the same conditions, there is little difference between the grand vin and the second wine. La Chapelle is made from the youngest Cabernet and Merlot vines, giving it a crisp, elegant and resolutely fruity style.
The first wine is a tribute to finesse. The Château's own words best describe the unique profile of this rare and iconic Saint-Emilion wine: "A cathedral, it begins with a powerful, mineral Cabernet Franc profile. Then comes the Merlot fruit: round, chiselled, pure. The palate resonates with finesse and freshness for a long time, ending with a finish of rare balance. A monumental wine, like a bulwark against time: the years pass over it and lovingly sublimate its character".
The iconic vintages of Château d'Ausone
The wine of Château d'Ausone stands out for its nuanced richness and brilliance, driven by great intensity and an enveloping texture. It is a great wine for laying down, only revealing its full complexity after ten to fifteen years. Its evolutionary potential is remarkable, and it gracefully spans the decades, gradually revealing the full extent of its greatness.
"The greatest Ausone of the 1970s and, along with Pauillac's Lafite-Rothschild, one of the two truly exceptional wines of that vintage, the 1976 Château Ausone is certainly a profound wine. Surprisingly dark for the vintage, it has a voluptuous, intense and complex bouquet of mineral, liquorice, truffle and ripe, spicy blackcurrant fruit. This powerful, full-bodied wine offers remarkable volume, given the conditions of the year. Surprisingly, it is bigger than more recent Ausones such as the 1978, 1979, 1985 or 1986. This is a real oenological achievement for such a difficult vintage". - Robert Parker 94 / 100
"This wine is finally beginning to justify the enthusiastic praise and high score I gave it in cask when it was one of the most extraordinary young wines I have ever tasted. Its dormant phase lasted more than ten years. At my last tasting, the wine was beginning to reveal that provocative bouquet so characteristic of Ausone: minerals, spices, earth, red and black fruits. Enormously built, with a massive amount of dry extract and tannin, this powerful wine, still in the background, could well establish itself as one of the greatest Ausones produced since the Second World War. It still has 5-10 years to reach full maturity. Although the exotic richness and opulence of the 1982 are becoming more and more apparent, it is unlikely that wine lovers will open a bottle before the turn of the century. It could evolve for 50 years. - Robert Parker 95 / 100
"The 1995 vintage will be remembered as a historic year for Ausone. It was the first year in which, after more than a decade of wrangling between co-owners, Alain Vauthier became the sole owner, thus having total control over the viticulture, vinification and ageing of the wine. The extraordinary minerality characteristic of Ausone is clearly present in this 1995, but there are also more aromas, a richer, more multi-dimensional palate, and a fuller texture, all of which brilliantly express the terroir. The wine has a dense ruby-purple colour, and a developing but still closed nose of spring flowers, minerals, earth and black fruit. Rich, opulently textured and surprisingly sensual for a young Ausone, this medium-bodied 1995 shows an exquisite balance of acidity, tannin, alcohol and fruit. Although it is not yet perfectly melted, all the elements are present for an extraordinary evolution in bottle. Given its austere style, it will require 5-7 years of cellaring, and will age at a glacial pace for 30-40 years." - Robert Parker 93 / 100
"Its intense purple colour heralded a wine that was surprisingly more evolved and open-knit than I had noted in my 2003 tasting, where I predicted maturity between 2020 and 2075. This wine has gorgeous, sweet tannins and a big, sweet caress of truffle, crushed rock, blueberry, blackberry and liquorice. Extremely rich, full-bodied, with stunning power, precision and delicacy, this is a sumptuous wine that should age well for 50-60 years. But in the case of this uncorked bottle of the three, it seemed far more evolved and approachable than I had suggested in 2003." - Robert Parker 98+ / 100
"The 2005 Ausone is a perfect wine for the vintage. It reveals notes of crushed rock, spring flowers, blueberry and blackberry fruit, with a full mouthfeel, remarkable purity and richness, and perfect harmony between all its elements (acidity, tannins, wood, alcohol and extract). Still young, but full of promise, this wine should be set aside for another decade and consumed over the next 50-75 years. Drink it between 2025 and 2100. - Robert Parker 98+ / 100
Château Ausone, 2015
"Ausone 2015 is a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc, with a medium to deep garnet colour. It needs plenty of aeration to reveal its aromas of iron ore, Chinese five-spice, undergrowth and black truffle, before opening up with a core of fruitcake, dried roses, liquorice and blueberry jam, with a touch of kirsch. On the palate, it is full-bodied, rich and powerful, with a solid core of muscular fruit, firm but silky tannins and perfectly integrated freshness. It finishes with incredible length and layers of breathtaking complexity. Incredible!" - Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW 100 / 100
"Unquestionably one of the wines of the vintage, it shows power and depth, combined at every moment with lightness and tension. It stretches out on the palate, slowly but surely delivering notes of spicy sage and saffron, accompanied by juicy blackcurrant and graphite. Aged 100% in new barrels, harvested between 5 and 27 September, in organic conversion, with vines averaging 54 years of age, the Vauthier family are once again proving their mastery of wine construction and architecture. This is the first year without the official classification of Premier Grand Cru Classé A, but this had not appeared on the label for several years, so no change there. - Jane Anson 100 / 100
The Ausone vineyard, a little clay-limestone gem
Not far from the charming medieval village of Saint-Emilion, the Château Ausone vineyard is planted on an asteriated limestone plateau and a clay-limestone hillside. The northern and western ends of the vineyard are sheltered. The 7 hectares of vines are planted in small terraces on the site known as Roc Blancan. The vines benefit from an exceptional microclimate thanks to the confluence of the Isle and Dordogne rivers.
Château Ausone cultive les deux cépages iconiques de l'appellation de Saint-Emilion, Cabernet Franc et Merlot. Les vignes sont profondément enracinés et arborent un âge moyen de 50 ans, certaines parcelles comptent des vignes de plus de 100 ans. Château Ausone grows the two iconic grape varieties of the Saint-Emilion appellation, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The vines are deeply rooted and have an average age of 50 years, with some plots boasting vines over 100 years old.
Sustainable development at Château Ausone
Biodiversity is preserved to create a rich, living ecosystem around the vines. Fauna - insects, birds and bats - and flora - hedges, fruit trees and aromatic plants (nettles, wicker, valerian) - work in harmony and symbiosis on the estate.
Instead of rigorism, Château Ausone prefers to follow the rhythm of the vineyard and to reason according to the needs of the vines as the seasons change, using the most appropriate organic and bio-dynamic practices. The aim is to sublimate the terroir and protect the living soil.
