Chateau Ausone, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2012

Tasted blind at the 2012 Southwold tasting, the 2012 Ausone took more time to settle in the glass than its peers, eventually deciding upon briary, violet and cassis scents—very floral and Margaux-like in style, not powerful but insistent. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, a crisp line of acidity, blackcurrant pastille mixed with cedar and a dash of spice, the wine finally revving up towards an intense and persistent finish that almost stains the mouth with its opulence. It is a gorgeous Saint Emilion from Pauline and Alain Vauthier. Tasted January 2016.

One of the wines of the vintage, the 2012 Ausone boasts gorgeous depth, aromatic intensity and overall balance. Dark red stone fruits, menthol, licorice, smoke and savory herbs flesh out as this layered, seductive Saint-Emilion shows off its pure pedigree and class. Further time in bottle should allow the 2012 to flesh out even more, but it is pretty special today. I remember tasting the 2012 straight from barrel with Alain Vauthier in the spring of 2013. The bottled, finished wine is every bit as special. The blend is 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot.

The 2012 Ausone is another prodigious effort that should turn out to be one of the longest-lived wines of the vintage. It boasts a dense purple color along with abundant notes of mulberries, black currants, blueberries and a hint of raspberries interwoven with spring flower and crushed chalk-like characteristics presented in a full-bodied yet ethereal, stylish, racy, noble manner. This is a high class, aristocratic, nearly perfect wine to cellar for a decade and then watch it unfold over the following 40-50 years.

(55% cabernet franc and 45% merlot; 32 h/h; 85% new oak): Bright, deep ruby. Profound aromas of strawberry, blueberry, fresh herbs, mocha and vanilla. Then deep, dense and suave, with noteworthy clarity to the red and dark fruit flavors. The finish is long and pure, with polished tannins and just a trace of greenness, probably due to all that cabernet franc in the blend. Still, the measure of this wine's greatness and proprietor Alain Vauthier's talent is that he has come up with such an impressive effort in a year when weather conditions were more than difficult for cabernet franc. The merlot was harvested between October 9 and 12 and the cabernet franc on October 13, 15, and 17.