Chapelle d’Ausone 2013
Chapelle d’Ausone 2013, First Grand Cru Classé A of Saint-Emilion, Château Ausone is one of the oldest property in the Bordeaux vineyards. History is that it occupies the site of the magnificent villa that the poet and proconsul Ausone owned in Lucaniac (Saint-Emilion). It is from here that his name comes from. This vineyard is for several centuries in the same family thus allowing to preserve very old vines. Today, the heirs of Madame Cécile Vauthier continue her work vintage after vintage.
Admirably exposed to the east and south, the terroir of Ausone Castle is surrounded by a belt of rocks, collapsed quarries which shelters it completely from the north and west winds. La Chapelle d’Ausone is the second wine of this Premier Grand Cru Classé A which produces between 4,000 and 10,000 bottles depending on the quality of the vintage and the choice of lots of wines selected to enter the composition of the great wine. The area of the property is 9 Ha. The average age of the vineyard is 45 to 50 years old. The richness of the soil constitutes the magnificence of the terroir: ¼ on a thin soil resting on starry limestones, ¾ on chalky clay-limestone coasts. The grape variety is 55% Cabernet Franc, 43% Merlot Black & 2% Cabernet Sauvignon. The care taken to produce the Chapelle d’Ausone wine is the same as for the Grand Cru Classé A. The work in the vineyard is traditional and green operations are carried out in respect of nature: leafing, scraping, harvest in green , manual harvest, sorting. After a traditional fermentation, the wines are aged in 100% new barrels.
At the tasting, the Ausone Chapel offers an infinite refinement made of aromas of red and black fruits, spices and mineral notes. The style of wine at Chateau Ausone is unlike most other wines. Minerality, from the massive limestone deposits in the soil is what most tasters notice. The fruit retains a beautiful purity.