Wine Tasting Notes, Ratings

1999 Château Ausone

1. When first offered, this vintage of Chateau Ausone was a bargain at not much over $100. Those days are gone. At prices that make Lafite Rothschild look like a bargain, it's always a treat to taste Ausone. Broken stone, licorice, flowers, boysenberry, smoke, coffee and spice open the aromatics. Tannic, intense, pure, concentrated and mouth filling, the wine coats your tongue with pleasure ending with layers of fresh, ripe, pure, juicy plums and stone. Still young, give it another decade before the fireworks explode. Having tasted this several times over the years, this is the best showing yet for the 1999 Ausone.

   97 points - Tasted Feb 21, 2012

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2. Minerality, smoke, blackberry, herbs, forrest scents and stone make up the complex perfume that is found with ample coaxing. Full bodied and filled with soft, ripe, dark fruit, this wine will drink younger than most Vauthier era Ausone wines.

   94 points - Tasted May 22, 2010

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3. It's a study in texture, concentration and minerality. Still young, this stellar wine offers a unique profile for St. Emilion. From a cool year, this wine is a major accomplishment. Liqueur of black fruit and plums pour over your mouth and linger. Still young, assuming you can use the words value and Ausone together in the same sentence, this is the wine to buy if you want to drink it young.

   95 points - Tasted Jun 6, 2008

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