Ausone St Emilion 2023 En Primeur 3 Bottle Case

Country: France Region: Bordeaux Saint Emilion 

Varietal:  40% Merlot, 60% Cabernet Franc

Vintage: 2023 Colour: Red Style: Dry

Producer: Chateau Ausone

Ch. Ausone produced one of the most complete wines in 2023. There’s an aromatic arc on the nose with notes of pencil lead, oak spice and vanilla, building to a rush of concentrated black fruit that spreads across the palate, followed by notes of tobacco and wet stones. Just like the 2022, there’s great power and intensity that will need time to open up. The finish is elegant and fresh, brought by the higher proportion of Cabernet Franc in the blend. This exceptional vintage has garnered impressive accolades, with Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW awarding it 98-100 points and Neal Martin praising it with a rating of 96-98 points. He states that "...it exudes sophistication and could easily surpass the Vauthiers' 2022." Only 2,000 cases were produced, highlighting the often-overlooked relative rarity of these Right Bank wines.

 "A very long finish" 98-100 points – Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent

“I don't think I have tasted an Ausone like this. The purity of fruit and fluidity is so primary, like perfectly picked grapes with their juice. Then there is citrus freshness. It's muscular, with toned tannins that caress the palate and give a seamless finish. This really could push the boundaries for the character of Ausone, in the way of finesse with structure. Watch it. 60% cabernet franc and 40% merlot”"
98 - 99 Points
James Suckling

"A blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot, the 2023 Ausone has a pH of 3.63 and a deep garnet-purple color. It is very mute and reticent to show its personality to start, needing a lot of shaking and pleading to coax out a series of intense scents: fresh blackberries, violets, licorice, pencil shavings, and tar, leading to an undercurrent of Sichuan pepper and fertile loam. The medium-bodied palate has wonderful tension and is incredibly taut and tight-knit, offering glimpses at layers of mineral and floral accented fresh blackberry flavors. It is textured by incredibly ripe, fine-grained tannins, delivering a very long finish, laced with mineral sparkles"
98 - 100 Points
Wine Spectator

" Density and well-cushioned fruit, another stunning vintage of a wine that somehow manages to make an effortless impression, edges of cloves and grilled sandalwood, full of nuance and capturing the aromatics depths and heights of the vintage, gorgeous.."
97 Points 
Jane Anson

"Really ripe and fragrant black fruit, but fresh too, an element of graphite and liquorice and lots of florality. Really expressive and open. Clean, clear and juicy with a clean, direct, mineral backbone that sustains to a long finish. Missing some star power and a bit more heft, but it’s well defined, finessed and pure. Somewhat subdued, not over trying, very elegant with lovely wet stone elements around the sides and lots of menthol, liquorice, clove and blueberry freshness. Already approachable - this will be delicate and easy to drink. A little tense still but it has a long length. 3.63pH. 39hl/ha yield. Vineyard is organic certified"
96 Points,
Decanter

"The 2023 Ausone reveals an incipient bouquet of violet, smoke, dark wild berries, spices and cherries, all beautifully interwoven with creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with a rich chassis of tannin, it has a vibrant core of fruit and a long, mineral, vanillin-inflected finish. At 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot, this ranks alongside the 2014 vintage as one of the most Cabernet-dominant Ausone vintages of recent years, and it will mature for 20 months in new oak barrels. 
95-97 Points,
The Wine Advocate

Terms: Delivery Spring 2026. Excludes VAT & Duty, Payable upon delivery.