2003 Chateau Ausone Premier Grand Cru Classe A, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 1x750ml

Robert Parker 95

Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s “10-Year On” tasting in London. The Ausone 2003 has an opulent, very pure bouquet with cassis, blueberry, violets and a touch of pencil shavings. It does not quite have the ebullience of delineation of the Cheval Blanc but is very fine. The palate is fresh and offers a Burgundy-like silky smooth texture on the entry. The tannins are supremely fine and lend the middle and finish a cashmere texture. There is a hint of spice right on the aftertaste. This is just gorgeous albeit not cheap Saint Emilion! Tasted March 2013. [Neal Martin, 03/01/2013]

Vinous 95+

Full ruby. Black raspberry, mocha, minerals, graphite and nutty oak on the superripe nose. Extravagantly rich and sweet in the mouth without coming off as heavy. This boasts extraordinary fruit intensity and verve (it’s hard to imagine cabernet franc better than this), and finishes with great palate-staining persistence. But this powerfully tannic wine may already be starting to shut down in the bottle. Like the 2005, it will need a decade of aging at a minimum, and possibly a lot longer. [Stephen Tanzer, 01/05/2006]