2009 Chapelle d'Ausone
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Tasting notes
Beautiful deep plum colour, a totally gorgeous 2009, silky and supple in its tannic structure, knitted together but you can hardly see a single stitch. Easy to drink now, but no rush - expect intensity and concentration among the sweet ripe fruits, juicy, sappy, tingling minerality, delivering exactly what you want 2009 to do. Winemaker/cellar master Philippe Baillarguet, overseen by Pauline Vauthier, 11th generation of the family, working with her father Alain, 100% new oak for ageing.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Wine Spectator
More reviews and scores
Black! A bit overripe. Chewy and awkward. (JR)
Bright ruby. Cool, complex aromas of cassis, licorice, Thai basil, fresh herbs, gingerbread and coconutty oak. Bright and firm, even a bit youthfully ungiving, but juicy and penetrating, with an exhilarating note of Asian spices. Very tight and firm on the long, vibrant back end. A second wine with a very strong personality of its own.
Representing nearly half of the production, this estate’s second wine, the 2009 La Chapelle d’Ausone, is an extraordinary effort. Better than many of the grand vins made during the 1970s and 1980s, it is an equal part blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc revealing an inky/blue/purple color along with notes of incense, blueberries, raspberries and crushed rocks (which give the wine a distinctive minerality). Medium to full-bodied as well as exceptionally pure, broad and opulent, it should drink well for two decades or more.
About the producer
Ch. Ausone is one of Bordeaux’s most respected estates. At this small property, perched atop a hill overlooking the town of Saint-Emilion, the Vauthier family produces some of the finest wines in the region.