1959 Ausone

The two impeccably stored bottles of 1959 Ausone were an eye-opening reminder of just what this great terroir can do. Like the best 1959s, it remains a remarkably healthy ruby-black in hue, unfurling in the glass over several hours with rich aromas of ripe mulberries and other dark fruits mingled with hints of mint, vine smoke, rose petals and spices. Full-bodied, broad and layered, it's deep and enveloping, with a concentrated core of fruit, sweet structuring tannins and a long, resonant finish. Its aromatic range, purity of fruit and persistence all mark it out as one of the great wines of the vintage (and that lost nothing by comparison with a pristine magnum of the 1959 Lafite).