100 WI / 100 WCI / 99 JA / 99 VM / 98+ JD / 98 DE /98 WE / 98 FS / 18+ JR
The 2020 Ausone, composed of 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc, is deep garnet-purple in color. After a shake or two, the nose erupts with the most gorgeous perfume of juicy blueberries, baked black plums, and black raspberries, followed by nuances of pencil shavings, iron ore, rose oil, and black truffles with a waft of cedar. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut with shimmery, energetic black and blue berry layers, framed by super-ripe, super fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with epic length and a whole firework display of floral, mineral, and bright, pure fruit notes. This is incredible!--Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent
The captivates your focus with its showy display of flowers, crushed rocks, black, red and blue fruit, espresso and thyme. It takes a bit of coaxing and patience, but there is an incredible level of depth, purity, refinement, and vibrancy at play here on the palate as the wine gently coats your palate with its layers of salt-infused, black and dark red fruits. The deep seamless finish crosses the 60 second mark and keeps on going as it continues showing off its essence of minerals of fresh berries. This could be the longest lived wine of the vintage. Drink from 2030-2075.-Jeff Leve, Wine Cellar Insider
A stunning wine, that seduces with a creamy luscious kick of spiced raspberry and blueberry fruit on the first moments, then the more austere touch of limestone, with fingers of orange peel, lemongrass, steel and slate add a stricter character. This is just a masterclass in clever winemaking, in knowing exactly when to step back and let the terroir take over. The depths on offer here are both hidden and yet fully apparent, and as it gathers steam through the palate, gunsmoke and mocha appear, along with the tell-tale oyster shell salinity on the finish. 100% new oak, Pauline Vauthier winemaker with cellar master Philippe Baillarguet. First year of official conversion to organic farming. - Jane Anson, Decanter. - Jane Anson , Inside Bordeaux
The 2020 Ausone is stellar. Usually a showier wine, Ausone is packed with bright acids, deep fruit and tons of supporting structure. Dark red fruit, blood orange, pomegranate, rose petal, mocha and dried herbs all race out of the glass. Deep and layered, with magnificent finesse, Ausone is lights out in 2020. What a wine. Readers lucky enough to own it are in for a thrilling ride over the next few decades.-Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
A blend of equal parts Cabernet Franc and Merlot (the last time it was this blend was in 2010), the 2020 Château Ausone spent 20 months in new French oak, which has already been just about completely absorbed by this beauty. In comparison to the Chapelle d'Ausone, the Grand Vin is tighter and straighter, with an incredible yet primordial bouquet of red, blue, and black fruits intermixed with notions of iron, smoked tobacco, and graphite, with a liqueur of rocks-like sense of minerality. Dense purple-hued, full-bodied, backward, incredibly concentrated, and powerful, it has building tannins, a dense, stacked mid-palate, and enough structure and baby fat to warrant a solid decade of bottle age. This is a powerful Ausone built for the long haul, and it will unquestionably rank with the greats from the Vauthier family. - Jeb Dunnuck
Deep and layered with rich, ripe blackcurrant, cherry and plum fruit that expands slowly while the texture – sleek, straight and direct – does the talking. Clean with a powdery mineral grip of liquorice and graphite that takes hold and doesn't let go. Structured and focused, no doubt muscular in its power yet so finely knit together. Laser-sharp, serious at the moment, this will take a while before it really starts to shine. It's not out to charm right now but it certainly captivates. - Georgia Hindle, Decanter
The wine is powerful and impressively rich. Its perfumed character is intense from 50% Cabernet Franc. With layers of great, velvety tannins and wonderful juicy acidity, the wine is set to age well. Drink from 2028.-Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast
Little open at the beginning. Some Amarena cherry. Peppery notes. With air contact red and blackcurrant. Then more and more resinous-spicy aromas. On the palate fleshy tannin with a powerful chalky-mineral underpinned tannic grain, plus a cultivated, integrated and yet also ripe acidity. Very long plateau phase in structure, vibrating with tension, yet also with a creamy underpinning that embeds and rounds everything out. Great length.-Peter Moser, Falstaff
Deep and intense with mineral, dark fruit and chocolate notes. Initially broad across the palate then firm, long, fresh and structured. Plentiful tannins but very fine and enrobed in generous fruit. Powerful but elegant with loads packed into the wine. Striking potential.-James Lawther MW, Jancis Robinson
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