1976 Ausone
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Tasting notes
The 1976 Ausone has always been held up as one of the few successes of the decade for the estate. Bottles are now not easy to find. I remember the one example opened at The Arches possessing engaging Moroccan spice and boot polish on the nose, quite ripe with gamey Damon fruit. The palate is balanced and demonstrates much more ripeness than other vintages from the 1970s with firm tannic structure, piquant red fruit tinged with brown sugar towards the sustained finish. I suspect that in 2018 bottles will be more variable but those of sound provenance will continue to offer pleasure. Tasted at a private dinner in London.
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Robert Parker
Robert Parker
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Considerable amber at the edge is evident in this dark garnet-colored wine. With a big nose of sweet maple syrup intermixed with foresty notes, plum, fig, and currants, it is sweeter and riper than its more famous sibling, the 1975. In the mouth, the wine shows some hard edges and angularity, which is so typical of Ausone, but there is a lot of character and a concentrated, medium-bodied mid-palate. The finish is paradoxically both sweet and sour, with ripeness and glycerin, but at the same time, high tannin. Seemingly at a plateau of maturity, this wine could easily hang at this level for decades. Anticipated maturity: Now-2020. Last tasted, 1/02.
Tasted 11 Times After Bottling With Ratings In The Low To Mid-90's Oct 1994, www.robertparker.com
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.