Ausone

Château Ausone

Classification: Premier Grand Cru Classé A
Château Ausone is one of only 2 wines, along with Château Cheval Blanc, to be ranked Premier Cru Classé A – which is the highest of the Saint Emilion Classification. Ausone is perched on the hillside outside Saint Emilion with south facing steeply terraced vineyards. Ausone is carved into the limestone hill and sits upon 3 troglodytic caves, the smallest of which is used as the wine cellar which ages the wines in a perfectly stable atmosphere. The Château takes its name from the 4^th century Roman poet Decimus Magnus Ausonius who was famous for his writing on early Roman viticulture and it is believed that Château Ausone stands upon the foundations of his villa Lucaniac.

Only 3 families have owned Ausone – the Lescours family in the 13^th century, the Chatonnet-Cantenat family during the 17^th century and now their descendants the Vauthier family. In 1995 the Vauthier family gained sole ownership of Château Ausone and Alain Vauthier controls all aspects of the winemaking. Château Ausone's vineyards cover nearly 18 acres and lie on sands and chalky clay above a bed rock of limestone. The average age of the vines is 50 years and the grapes planted are 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Franc.

Wine Style
The wines of Château Ausone are powerful, complex, charming and fruit driven. They can be tannic when young and require at least 10 years cellaring to develop in the bottle. The wines have great ageing potential and are designed to last 50 – 100 years so they should be cellared properly. They have notes of black cherry, raspberry, black currant, spice, minerals, truffles and blueberries.

Owner: Famille Vauthier
Château Website: www.chateau-ausone-saint-emilion.com
Oenologist: Michel Rolland