Ausone 2003

The 2003 Ausone is off the charts in terms of richness. While I gave a 3-digit score to the 2000, I think this profoundly concentrated wine may be even more sublime and exotic. Its inky/blue/purple color is followed by an extraordinary perfume of flowers, crushed rocks, sweet raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and God knows what else. The impression is one of extraordinary richness and purity, and a multilayered texture yet a surreal lightness as well as laser-like precision. This exquisite offering must be tasted to be believed. Incredibly young, it will undoubtedly close down over the next few years, re-emerging after 15-20 years. It should last for 70-100 years. It is a wine for anthology!

No one in Bordeaux has made greater progress in taming the extraordinary potential of this noble terroir than Alain Vauthier, an obsessed perfectionist if there ever was one. He has instituted a Draconian selection at this tiny estate, both in the vineyard and the cellar, and the second wine, Chapelle d’Ausone, has also become one of the region’s finest wines. Prospective purchasers should be aware that Ausone requires 10-20 years of cellaring before it approaches maturity.

There are only 18,000 bottles of this wine, which certainly will be a candidate for perfection. The limestone soils supported the heat and drought of 2003 better than the gravelly, sandy oils of St.-Emilion. Ausone obviously benefited perfectly from the climate. In addition, the little bit of rain that fell at the end of August was the magic key that opened the door to what looks to be a modern-day legend. Black/purple to the rim with an extraordinary nose of graphite, incense, licorice, Asian spice, and copious quantities of black and red fruits and that almost liquid minerality, this astoundingly great wine is the essence of Ausone and the essence of what makes Bordeaux so special. Will it evolve for 50, 75, or perhaps 100 years? Who knows? It is a magnificently concentrated, seamless, harmonious, brilliant wine that even after tasting a quarter million and twenty-six years on the road, it still gave me chills. If you can find it, if you can afford it, and if you have good DNA for aging, buy it. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2075.

Made from 23 hectoliters per hectare, there are only 1,500 cases of the prodigious 2003 grand vin. A blend of 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot, it is one of the greatest wines I have ever tasted from cask. An inky/purple color is followed by an extraordinary crystalline, statuesque bouquet of flowers, raspberries, blackberries, liqueur of minerals, and a hint of quince. Extremely rich yet light and seamless with a nearly endless finish (it lasts for over 70 seconds), this is an ethereal, monumental effort. No one who knows proprietor Alain Vauthier will be surprised to learn that he has produced a 2003 Ausone that equals or surpasses his perfect 2000. A perfectionist in all senses, he oversees every detail, and constantly keeps his mind open for new winemaking techniques that might enhance Ausone’s extraordinary terroir. In contrast to the 2000 at a similar age, it comes across as more flattering because of low acidity and higher alcohol, I suspect it will close down and re-emerge in 10-20 years. This extraordinary terroir has produced an amazing 2003. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2050+.

Loads of blackberry, plum and strawberry. Intense fruit. Layers of everything. Wonderful balance and refinement.

One of the standouts of the vintage

Alain Vauthier has made massive improvements at Ausone in the past few years since taking full control of the winemaking and management of his family property. The wines made here now are in a different league from those produced in the 1970's and 1980's. Made from more or less 50-55% Cabernet Franc, a little Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot with 40-45% Merlot in 100% new oak. The vines were picked over several weeks with the final grapes harvested on October 3rd. Ausone has returned to top First Growth form. Unfortunately there will be less than 2000 cases produced this year. It is a wine that Alain Vauthier compares to the legendary 1959. This wine has absolutely wonderful concentration but there is not a hint of the jammy over-extraction that spoils so many of the wanabee stars of this appellation. Black colour, perfumed, complex, exotic with cloves, allspice, black chocolate and great intensity. Massive, sweet, juicy, mouthfilling, dense but balanced. In 2003 this is simply and irrefutably the wine of the vintage in Saint Emilion.