2006 Ausone
By Chateau Ausone
2006 Ausone from Chateau Ausone, Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux
In the pantheon of Bordeaux greats, the 2006 Ausone from Chateau Ausone articulates a particularly captivating chapter with its individualistic interpretation of the year's climatic idiosyncrasies. This vintage, emerging from an estate steeped in viticultural lore, strikes a chord with connoisseurs and investors alike. My intimate affair with this wine propels me through its evolution, year by meticulous year.
Complexity and Elegance: A Vintage Tale
Wine investment is not merely an exercise in accruing bottles; it is the alchemy of harnessing time within glass walls. The 2006 Ausone, standing gracefully at the intersection of heritage and innovation, embodies this truth. This formidable year saw fluctuating conditions, with an arid summer crisply resolved by September's optimal weather, bestowing the grapes with balance and concentration.
A Testament to Mastery and Terroir
The 2006 vintage, often unjustly overshadowed by its immediate predecessors, is in fact a showcase of finesse. The wines from this year possess a quiet confidence; the Ausone is no exception, with its intricate layers of bright red fruit yielding to a backdrop of mineral-laden depth and velvety tannins – attributes that emerge triumphantly after years of patience.
Remarkably composed, this ensemble presents investors with a nuanced blend that commands attention. Diverse as it is distinctive, it highlights why Chateau Ausone remains a revered name amongst oenophiles desiring to enrich their cellars with investment-grade wines.
A Sage Investment for the Discerning Palate
As I revisit the 2006 Ausone, its narrative has not waned but flourished with time's passage. The ageability factor makes it a wise acquisition for portfolios aiming to mature like the wine itself – with grace and profitability woven into their fabric. Whether for pleasure or portfolio, it remains a noble testament to the mastery over adversity that comes only with exceptional Saint-Émilion terroir; a testament carried forth by Chateau Ausone's unwavering pursuit of excellence.
In summary, the 2006 vintage from Chateau Ausone merits its place in the echelons of investment-grade wines as much for its unique vintage character as for its intrinsic value derived from an illustrious lineage. Connoisseurs and investors alike will appreciate its poised evolution; a story best told in glasses raised years hence.
Current market price
£5,040.00
12x75cl
Highest score
98
POP score
280
Scores and tasting notes
One of the handful of candidates for wine of the vintage is the 2006 Ausone. In fact, while tasting it, I was thinking, is there any estate in Bordeaux that, since 1998, has made as many legendary wines as proprietor Alain Vauthier has at his beloved Ausone? Boasting an inky/blue/purple color as well as an extraordinary, precise bouquet of minerals, flowers, blueberry liqueur, and black currants, this wine possesses fabulous fruit and great intensity, but what makes it so special is its precision, focus, and almost ethereal lightness despite substantial flavor intensity and depth. It is a ballerina with density and power. The abundant noticeable tannin is sweet and, not surprisingly, very finely grained. It should be cellared for a decade, and consumed over the following half century.
Robert Parker Jr - Wine Advocate #181 Feb 2009
Tasted blind at Southwold ’06 Bordeaux tasting. This has a very fragrant, sensuous bouquet with kirsch, black cherries and cassis all interlaced with a sorbet like freshness and vitality. Good definition: enthralling clarity and precision. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, very poised and feminine in style with blackcurrant, cassis and black plum. Understated but very focused, sensual and natural on the finish. Great persistency, really coats the mouth in effervescent fruit that electrifies the senses. Wonderful. Tasted January 2010.
Neal Martin - Wine Journal Jul 2010
Cedar, new wood and crushed blackberry and raspberry aromas follow through to a palate of vanilla, berry and blackberry character. Balanced and modern, with olts of fruit. Lively, with bright acidity. Best after 2014.
James Suckling - jamessuckling.com
Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London.The 2006 Château Ausone has a fragrant bouquet compared to the 2006 Pavie, fomenting more secondary aromas such as smoke, cigar box, potpourri and a smear of Seville orange marmalade. The palate is very refined on the entry, rounded and supple in the mouth. It clearly does not have the density and weight of the Pavie, but it exerts an insistent grip in the mouth and the tannins have symmetry on the finish. It is a very fine Ausone, although Alain Vauthier has overseen better vintages in recent years. Tasted January 2016.
Neal Martin - The Wine Advocate, 29 May 2016