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La Chapelle D'Ausone 2018 (750ML)
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Critic Scores, Reviews & Descriptions
96 WE / 93-95+ JD / 95 JS / 94+ WA / 94 VM / 94 WCI / 93 DE / 16.5+ JR
The 2018 Chapelle D'Ausone is another second wine that can easily compete with most estates’ top wines. Coming from a blend of 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon that will spend 20 months in oak, it tastes like a mini Château Ausone with its beautiful limestone minerality and sweet black fruits, spice, and graphite aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, concentrated, with building structure, it’s a serious second wine that’s going to benefit from 3-5 years of bottle age and keep for two decades. - Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Chapelle d'Ausone is made of 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, as impenetrable as this wine's big-brother grand vin wine is, this is the precocious, show-off younger sibling. It comes skipping out of the glass with bright, cheery scents of redcurrant jelly, black raspberries, stewed plums and Black Forest cake, giving way to suggestions of rose oil, dusty soil and garrigue. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is jam-packed with juicy black and red berry layers, framed by beautifully ripe, finely grained tannins and tons of freshness, finishing long and perfumed. Delicious right now, if money's no object, buy this and the grand vin. The 2018 Ausone is going to take a good few years to come around, but this second wine offers a true enough taste of that epic feast of a wine to come.-Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate
Chapelle d'Ausone might very well be the best second wine in Bordeaux in 2018, and it is certainly a lot more compelling than many top cuvées. Inky, deep and voluptuous, the Chapelle shows all of the natural suppleness of Merlot to great effect. Soft curves and silky tannins round things out in style. It is a drop-dead gorgeous beauty from the Vauthier family. Simply magnificent - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
This is a pretty serious Chapelle - you can tell it's going to age well with its sense of purpose and power, yet it demonstrates notable restraint. It has the most incredible aromatics, with beautiful depth and power, and a silky texture with clear Cabernet influence to the savoury black cherry and liquorice. There's no hiding how ripe those tannins are. 37hl/ha yields, relatively normal for Ausone despite mildew pressure that was the worst Alain Vauthier had seen in 45 years.-Jane Anson, Decanter
Black core, purple rim. Intense, dark fruited and expressive on the nose. There's the lovely pencil-shavings character of Cabernet Franc and the generosity of Merlot. Very ripe cassis but not overripe. Deep and full in the mouth, slightly sweet and sour at the moment, needing time to mesh. Juicy freshness on the finish and smooth, deep tannin texture. Chewy and juicy on the finish.-Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson
