2018 Chateau Ausone, Saint-Emilion, Bottle (750ml)
$724
100RP100LP100JA100JL100DR
Critic key
RP = Robert ParkerLP = Lisa Perrotti-BrownDR = DecanterJA = Jane Anson
Product Description
RP100 The 2018 Ausone is a blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple in color, rather predictably, the nose is almost completely shut-down on first sniff, taking considerable aeration to begin to reveal its jaw-dropping perfume of ripe black cherries, wild blueberries and plum preserves, leading to suggestions of candied violets, molten chocolate, licorice and crushed rocks with subtle cedar and pencil lead hints. The medium to full-bodied palate (14.5% alcohol) is so tightly wound and nuanced at this stage, it requires a lot of focus unravel all that is going on here. In short: a lot. The ripe, rich, black and blue fruit layers eventually give way to the beautifully cerebral earthy/minerally subtext, carried by fantastically well-knit tension, delivering an incredibly long, foundation-shaking finish. If the earth doesn't move when you drink this, you're probably not doing it right.
LP100 The 2018 Ausone is deep garnet purple in color. There is oak to begin, giving way to a great core of baked black plums, chocolate-covered cherries, licorice, and incense, plus Indian spices and violets. Full-bodied, it is rich, concentrated, and decadent in the mouth, with a fantastic backbone of freshness and velvety tannins, finishing very long and layered.
JA100 The limestone soils of Ausone set the pace in St Emilion, and they have effortlessly dealt with the drought of the 2018 summer. What you get in the glass here is a push and pull of tannins and acidity, keeping the blackberry, cassis and redcurrant fruit walking the line between them. Eats its 100% new oak, which is apparent only through the creamy texture that becomes apparant through the mid palate as it opens. Displaying both tension and persistency, and the juicy scrape of limestone through the finish. his is deep and ripped, coming out you like a powerhouse, then it stops, tiptoes away, then rises up to slowly stretch out through the palate, displaying incredible tension and length. 3.6pH, 38hl/ha yield
LP100 The 2018 Ausone is deep garnet purple in color. There is oak to begin, giving way to a great core of baked black plums, chocolate-covered cherries, licorice, and incense, plus Indian spices and violets. Full-bodied, it is rich, concentrated, and decadent in the mouth, with a fantastic backbone of freshness and velvety tannins, finishing very long and layered.
JA100 The limestone soils of Ausone set the pace in St Emilion, and they have effortlessly dealt with the drought of the 2018 summer. What you get in the glass here is a push and pull of tannins and acidity, keeping the blackberry, cassis and redcurrant fruit walking the line between them. Eats its 100% new oak, which is apparent only through the creamy texture that becomes apparant through the mid palate as it opens. Displaying both tension and persistency, and the juicy scrape of limestone through the finish. his is deep and ripped, coming out you like a powerhouse, then it stops, tiptoes away, then rises up to slowly stretch out through the palate, displaying incredible tension and length. 3.6pH, 38hl/ha yield