2021 Château Ausone Magnum

Winery Château Ausone Château Ausone is among the absolute top estates in Saint-Émilion and has been considered one of Bordeaux's most iconic estates for decades. The château is situated on a steep slope with pure limestone soils, just outside the historic center of Saint-Émilion. Under the Vauthier family's guidance, the estate is cultivated with great precision, with a strong focus on terroir expression, low yields, and long maturation. Ausone is known for its understated power, finesse, and exceptional cellaring potential. More information about this winery can be found under the Winery tab. Saint-Émilion and the 2021 vintage Saint-Émilion boasts a wide variety of soils, but the Ausone limestone slope is unique within the appellation. This soil imparts tension, freshness, and a distinct mineral undertone to the wines. The 2021 vintage was challenging, with high disease pressure due to damp conditions. Château Ausone was in the second phase of organic conversion, making the year particularly demanding. Nevertheless, the estate succeeded in producing a wine with balance, precision, and a remarkably low alcohol content, giving this vintage a classic and understated character. Vineyards and terroir of Château Ausone Château Ausone's vineyards are situated on steep terraces with solid limestone in the subsoil. This soil forces the vines to take deep root and contributes to the wine's characteristic tension and minerality. Due to the location and exposure, the grapes ripen slowly, which is essential for aromatic complexity and freshness. In 2021, yields at Ausone remained relatively limited, but significantly higher than at some of the family's other estates. Grape varieties and composition The 2021 Château Ausone is blended from 65% Cabernet Franc and 35% Merlot, with a higher proportion of Cabernet Franc than usual. This blend emphasizes freshness, aromatic precision, and structure. Cabernet Franc delivers floral notes, tension, and length, while Merlot provides texture and a core of ripe fruit. Together, they create a wine less focused on power, focusing instead on balance and finesse. Harvest and vinification The Merlot was harvested on September 30th, followed by Cabernet Franc between October 4th and 6th. Some of the Merlot was deliberately left out of the Grand Vin and found its way to Chapelle d'Ausone, resulting in a higher proportion of Cabernet Franc in this cuvée. Vinification was carried out with great precision, focused on preserving purity and tension. The wine was aged in approximately 90% new oak barrels, primarily Demptos and Taransaud, with multiple rackings to enhance structure and integration. Magnum size and maturation advantage This wine is offered in a magnum format. Due to the larger bottle size, the wine develops more slowly and evenly than in a standard bottle. This results in a more refined tannin structure, better integration of the oak, and a significantly longer drinking window. For a wine with Ausone's potential, the magnum is ideally suited for extended cellar aging. This is a 1.5-liter magnum in OWC/1. Color, smell and taste In the glass, the wine displays a deep ruby red color. The aroma is complex and layered, with aromas of red and dark berries, cherry, and plum, complemented by floral notes of iris and rose petal, spices, mint, and subtle woody notes. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, with an enveloping texture and a core of pure fruit. The tannins are fine-grained but still clearly present at this stage. Fresh acidity creates tension, and a long, mineral finish with nuances of citrus and lime. Structure, style and storage potential The 2021 Château Ausone is a restrained and precise interpretation of the terroir. The style is less exuberant than in warmer years, but excels in balance, freshness, and definition. Thanks to its structure and low alcohol, this wine has exceptional aging potential. In magnum format, it can easily mature for decades, gradually increasi