Château-Ausone St. Emilion 2013

Barrel Sample. Although not the most powerful Ausone, this is still a serious wine, with ripe tannins and dark berry and plum fruits. It is structured, showing new wood characteristics and dense tannins, with freshness on the finish. At only 9,000 bottles, this is the smallest vintage production ever for this estate.

Probably the wine of the vintage, once again. Only 9,000 bottles of the 2013 Ausone were produced, as crop size was 50% of normal. However, proprietor Alain Vauthier and his daughter certainly have proven a truly great wine can be produced in some of the most trying conditions Bordeaux wine producers have had to deal with over the last 20 years. Yields were only 22 hectoliters per hectare and the final blend was 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. The haunting aromas of wet rocks, spring flowers, blue and black fruits and forest floor are followed by an incredibly dense, attractive wine with sweet tannin, stunning concentration and texture, medium body and a depth that is essentially unreal in a vintage such as this. The wine is a superb example of great winemaking under the most difficult circumstances. Unlike more recent Ausones, this should be reasonably drinkable in 5-6 years and yet be capable of lasting 25-30.

The 2013 Ausone has a touch more fruit intensity than the Cheval Blanc. It's well-defined with redcurrant, sage and a background minty scent that surfaces with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet, slightly candied opening. Fleshy and Merlot-driven, it misses the dimension imparted by the Cabernet Franc this year, though it contains more purity and persistence compared directly with the Cheval Blanc. Tasted at Bordeaux Index's 10-Year On tasting.

Plenty of ripe red and black berries, but also some candied orange and mint. Generous blackcurrant-pastille character is married to slightly rustic tannins, but they were (quite rightly) cautiously extracted. Nice length and pretty good harmony at the finish for this vintage. Drink or hold. Château Quintus vertical tasting.