Château Ausone

Château Ausone is located on the south side of the town of Saint-Émilion in the Bordeaux region, France. The approximately seven hectares of vineyard area are divided between small terraces on a rocky slope and on a plateau. The plots oriented to the east to south-east are protected from wind by surrounding outcrops of stone. On the plateau, the soils consist of asteria limestone, and on the slope of clay-limestone over limestone; under dry conditions, the clay can store moisture. A local microclimate is influenced by the confluence of the Dordogne and the Isle.

Cabernet Franc is the most important grape variety, complemented by Merlot and a little Cabernet Sauvignon. The vines are on average around 50 years old; individual plots contain vines more than a hundred years old. Observation of the vineyard is based on tasting the grapes and does not follow a fixed calendar. Hedges, fruit trees and aromatic plants are preserved, as are insects, birds and bats. The estate works with methods inspired by biological and biodynamic approaches; for Chapelle d’Ausone, the vineyard in 2022 was in the transition to organic farming.

Château Ausone is described as a Cabernet Franc-driven wine with a powerful mineral profile, a rounder Merlot character and a fresh finish. Chapelle d’Ausone comes from younger vines and contains a higher proportion of Merlot alongside Cabernet Franc and a little Cabernet Sauvignon. For the 2022 vintage, manual harvest in crates, manual sorting by plot and density, spontaneous fermentation with natural yeasts, as well as careful extraction in small wooden vessels are documented. The maturation took place for 20 months in new barriques.

The Vauthier family has been looking after the vineyard since 1690; Alain and Pauline Vauthier belong to the eleventh generation of winemakers. The estate’s name is linked to the Gallic-Roman poet Decimus Magnus Ausonius. Archaeological finds such as agricultural implements, vine mosaic floors and fragments of statues point to the use of the site for about two thousand years. Beneath the château are former limestone quarries, which in the 18th century were converted into cellars and used for ageing due to their moisture and thermal stability. In the official 2012 classification, Château Ausone was listed as a Premier Grand Cru Classé A; the classification homologated on 15 December 2022 does not list the estate among the Premier Grands Crus Classés or Grands Crus Classés.