1979 Ausone, St-Émilion

“The 1979 Ausone is a glorious bottle of wine, and clearly one of the greatest wines of the vintage. The stunning bouquet soars from the glass in a blaze of black cherries, menthol, woodsmoke, chocolate, notes of venison, glorious soil tones and just a bit of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep and quite powerful for the vintage, with perfect focus and balance, excellent mid-palate concentration, and a very long, complex and beautifully balanced finish. The tannins here are falling away, but the ’79 Ausone has plenty of integrated, gentle acidity to carry it for years to come. What a pity that this château has gone over to the dark side, as this has to be one of the most unique and compelling terroirs in all of Bordeaux. Fine, fine juice. 93+” (01/2019)

“The 1979 Ausone was one of the surprise packages of the tasting, perhaps enhanced after tasting through a string of middling wines of the 1980s. It showed moderate ageing on the rim. The nose leaps like a jack-in-the-box with vibrant kirsch, liquorice and wild strawberry scents, like a kid jumping out from a hiding place and shouting 'Bet you weren’t expecting that!' The palate is medium-bodied with vibrant red berry fruit infused with blood orange and tangerine. This feels so lively and vivid with just a hint of piquancy on the finish. Who knew? This must be one of the best Ausone wines of the decade apart from the 1976 and it comes highly recommended. (NM)” (03/2018)

“No tasting notes published.” (10/1989)