2002 Ausone
By Chateau Ausone
2002 Ausone from Chateau Ausone, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux
The millennium dawned brightly for Bordeaux, a region synonymous with vinous magnificence, and it wasn't long before the 2002 Ausone from Chateau Ausone emerged as one of the appellative benchmarks. This specific vintage from Saint-Emilion's hallowed grounds calls for contemplation, not just for its intrinsic value but also for the conversation it fosters amongst fine wine investors.
A Testament to Terroir: The 2002 Vintage Unveiled
In the context of early 21st-century winemaking, the 2002 vintage stands out as a testament to the resilience and adaptability of Chateau Ausone's viniculture. Where Bordeaux was challenged by a damp and cool summer, the skilled hands at Ausone managed not just to mitigate these hardships but to harness them in cultivating a compellingly atypical vintage that defied the odds.
Enigmatic Elegance: A Lesson in Balance
Holding a glass of the 2002 Ausone is akin to beholding a liquid tapestry, an interweave of meticulous viticulture and masterful élevage. The wine reveals merlot and cabernet franc's convivial partnership; merlot's plushness respectful of cabernet franc's assertive spice and structure. On the palate, this vintage entices with a complex spectrum of blackberry coulis and shaved graphite—an interplay of freshness with an ever so subtle nod to maturity—as if it respects both its illustrious past and promising future.
A tribute to the individuality that favourable conditions can carve out from adversity, this wine underscores finesse over flamboyance. It encourages patience for further development in bottle, yet provides an utterly engaging drinking experience now; its grace in unfolding layers is beautifully poised with a finish that resonates longevity and investment potential.
Savouring the Sophistication: A Future Bright With Promise
In summary, the 2002 Ausone from Chateau Ausone provides an intimate peek into a vintage that uncovers every facet of its terroir with effortless charisma. For enthusiasts evaluating fine wines as both pleasures and assets, here is a release that affirms Saint-Emilion's prowess. It balances intrepid survivability in trickier climes with an undimmed luminosity—a selection promising diversification and depth within any discerning investor's portfolio.
Market price (GBP)
£4,620.00
12x75cl
Highest score
96
POP score
288.75
Scores and tasting notes
Tasted blind at Farr's 2002 Bordeaux tasting. This is a beautiful wine. A bouquet surfeit with joie-de-vivre and elan, ripe black cherries, cassis and a touch of damson, but underneath all that precocious fruit is a real, tangible sense of minerality. The palate is silky smooth on the entry with vestiges of creamy oak still to be resolved, wonderful persistency on the licentious finish. Gorgeous! Tasted October 2009.
Neal Martin - Wine Journal Jan 2010
In many respects, the 2002 may be even more impressive than the 2003. A far more challenging vintage to get everything right, and especially in St.-Emilion, where many disappointments have been produced, this is one of the wines of the vintage and (along with Pavie) among the finest wines from the Right Bank. It possesses a deep purple color as well as a gorgeous nose of creme de cassis, blackberries, wet stones, and wonderfully perfumed floral notes. When the wine hits the palate, it exhibits impressive purity, medium to full body, a multi-layered texture, and extraordinary precision and intensity with a finish just short of 50 seconds. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2035.
Robert Parker Jr - The Wine Advocate, 28 April 2005