1997 Ausone
By Chateau Ausone
1997 Ausone from Chateau Ausone, Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux
The 1997 Ausone from Chateau Ausone encapsulates the vivid tapestry of a vintage that experienced both climatic challenges and astute viticulture triumphs. This period in Bordeaux was not marked as an iconic year; however, the mastery of Chateau Ausone's winemaking shone through, sculpting a wine that is a testament to the resilience and adaptability of this eminent estate.
Refined Complexity: The Mark of Time-Invested Craftsmanship
The 1997 Ausone is expressed with subtle sophistication. After enduring an uneven growing season with early ripening due to uncharacteristically warm weather followed by a sporadically damp August, careful human stewardship was essential to craft a wine of this calibre. Through judicious selection and unrivalled attention to detail, Chateau Ausone has endowed the '97 vintage with an exquisite hallmark of structured complexity, often desired by discerning fine wine investors.
Heritage Meets Opportunity: A Robust Investment Profile
Framed by its illustrious pedigree and scarcity, the 1997 Ausone offers an intriguing opportunity for investment. Its olfactory bouquet presents hints of truffle and earth, intertwined with a mature berry profile, which melds seamlessly into a palate of fully integrated tannins and subdued cassis - a memento mori to the potential longevity this Saint-Émilion marvel possesses.
In the glass, this storied nectar yields layers of sensory pleasure that reveals both the terroir's dialogue with an erratic season and the vintner's deft hand. For those seeking both cultural cachet and tangible value growth, adding the 1997 Ausone from Chateau Ausone to one’s portfolio would be an enlightened step.
A Vintage Emblematic of Patience and Grace
The 1997 Ausone is thus a beacon amongst Bordeaux's challenging vintages, representing not only a pinnacle of artisan endeavor but also an inflection point for those astute enough to discern its understated elegance. Whether cradled in a cellar as part of a broader collectible repertoire or standing alone as a centerpiece of investment acumen, this refined offering from Chateau Ausone remains an emblematic figurehead for both epicurean delight and financial sapience.
Market price (GBP)
£3,640.00
12x75cl
Highest score
92
POP score
303.33
Scores and tasting notes
A deep limpid garnet core. Echoing its showing in 2005, this has a lovely, opulent, velvety nose with well-knit vanillary new oak and superb fruit concentration. It still neds some time. Ditto the palate has admirable fruit concentration, maintaining the Super-Tuscan like flashiness, not complex with a super-smooth cassis and plum finish. Good persistency. Very fine, but not in the league of later vintages from Mon. Vauthier. Drink now-2017. Tasted September 2006.
Neal Martin - Wine Journal Jul 2008
A fine wine, this dark purple-colored effort reveals black raspberry, blackberry, mineral, and floral aromas in its complex, multidimensional bouquet. In the mouth, it is medium-bodied, with sweet, ripe fruit, firm tannin, good acidity, and a long, well-endowed, moderately tannic finish. Moreover, it will be a long-lived wine. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020.
Robert Parker Jr - The Wine Advocate, 20 April 2000