Chateau Ausone, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 1998

I’m still looking forward to tasting the great Château Ausone of Saint-Émilion later this week, but in the meantime I’m thinking back to this great 1998 I had this summer. In fact, it looks like 2014 was the antithesis of 1998, a year that saw the Right Bank and the early-ripening-merlot-dominated blends triumph over the Left Bank; as I’ve just written, I believe 2014 is showing much better for cabernet sauvignon and the Right Bank. Even so, this was tight and powerful with hints of cream and blueberries. It was full and pretty with firm tannins. On the finish it was so long and intense. Some balsamic and dried fruit undertones. It’s only beginning to open up now.

Readers should not hesitate to check out Ausone's new second wine, Chapelle d'Ausone. It reveals Ausone's minerality, finesse, and quality presented in a lower-keyed, more open-knit style.

Full, saturated ruby-red. Extremely pure aromas of black raspberry, black cherry, violet, minerals and espresso. Lush, silky and wonderfully dense for '98, though in a rather clenched phase today. This is tactile and impressively deep in the middle palate. Slow-building finish features big but ripe tannins and great purity of flavor. A classic style of Ausone that will go on for decades.