Ausone 2023 (750ML)

98-100 Points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent: "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." 05/24

99 Points, James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com: "The aromas of chalk, salt, purple fruit, black mushrooms and undertones of pencil shavings and dust are mesmerizing. Full-bodied with very fine, tense, firm tannins that frame the wine. It's very cool and suave in so many ways. Tannins are very integrated and melt beautifully into the wine. Lots of energy and tension. The fruit is clear and transparent. 60% cabernet franc and 40% merlot. Best after 2029." 12/25

95-97 Points, Yohan Castaing, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate: "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." 04/24

96-98 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous: "The 2023 Ausone is a powerful, heady wine. Dark, layered and explosive, the 2023 possesses tremendous depth and tons of sheer resonance, something that becomes increasingly apparent with time in the glass. Strong saline notes frame a core of dark-toned fruit, mocha, spice, new leather, pencil shavings and lavender. The savory, mineral-drenched finish is eternal. All the 2023 needs is time. Readers lucky enough to own it should be thrilled." 04/24

96 Points, Neal Martin, Vinous: "The 2023 Ausone has a very expressive bouquet that bursts from the glass with precocious black cherry, violet and crushed stone aromas, just a hint of shoe polish in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with ultra-smooth, cashmere tannins (often the signature of this estate), a silver thread of acidity, pleasing flesh and depth toward the sensual finish that is reassuringly precise and pure. Quintessential Ausone that will give many years’ drinking pleasure." 02/26

97 Points, Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux: "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. 100% new oak. Philippe Baillarguet cellar master, Vauthier family owners, organic certified in the vineyard." 04/24