Ausone 1999

St Emilion, Premier Grand Cru Classé A

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Tasting Notes

Offers opulent aromas of meat, toasty oak and ripe berries, almost roasted in character. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins, but a rich and dried fruit aftertaste. Shows lots of new wood. Amazing concentration here. Endless wine for the vintage. Still needs time. '89/'99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Best after 2011.

Score: 94

James Suckling, Wine Spectator Maturity: 2011+ 01 January 2010

Dark crimson. A little raisiny on the nose. Chewy tannins. Very dramatic but not as beautifully balanced as the Cheval tasted immediately before it. Sweet, rather alcoholic finish,

Score: 17 - 18

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2011-2028 18 September 2009

This Ausone has a deep, broody nose with black cherries, iodine, leather and a touch of ginger. The palate is full-bodied with thick chewy tannins, not as fine as more recent vintages. Pure black cherries, iodine, bilberry, a touch of sourness towards the finish that shows a slight hardness. This is what you might describe as a 'steadfast', almost 'conservative' Ausone, but it seems to have lost the exuberance that it demonstrated in its youth. Drink 2012-2025. Tasted June 2009.

Score: 90

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2012-2025 01 July 2009

Full medium ruby. Aromas of plum syrup, spice cake, minerals, Valrhona chocolate and tobacco. Sweet, suave and fairly full in the mouth, with strong underlying minerality. Finishes subtle and persistent, with dusty, even tannins and some new oak showing.

Score: 92

Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar 01 May 2002

Is the 1999 Ausone the wine of the vintage? Dense purple color, a compelling bouquet of licorice, minerals, black and blueberry liqueur, extraordinary delineation, high tannin, superb extract, and phenomenal richness all are the stuff of a legend. This wine seems impossible to have emerged from a vintage like 1999. Proprietor Alain Vauthier produced only 20,000 bottles because he eliminated one-fourth of the tiny crop. The result is out-and-out fabulous, but the wine needs 12-15 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2050.

Score: 95

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2015-2050 01 April 2002

The 1999 is nearly spectacular. Whether it will ultimately have immortal aging potential remains to be seen. It boasts gorgeous aromas of black fruits, flowers, smoke, licorice, and subtle wood. Fabulously concentrated, with sensational persistence on the palate, sweet tannin, and admirable balance as well as stature, this is a medium-bodied wine of exceptional pedigree and aging potential. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2040. As I wrote last year, this will undoubtedly be the longest lived wine of the vintage.

Score: 92 - 94

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2008-2040 01 April 2001

Ausone appears to be exploiting its potential now that Alain Vauthier has full control, and former winemaker, Pascal Delbeck is no longer a factor. The saturated purple-colored 1999 boasts a glorious bouquet of liquid minerals, smoke, flowers, and black fruits. Exceptionally pure, with remarkable delineation, this low acid effort possesses high tannin, formidable concentration and extract, sensational palate presence, and a 40+ second finish.

Score: 92 - 95

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2007-2035 01 April 2000