2001 CHÂTEAU AUSONE 2001

(06-2004) The 2001 Ausone has put on even more weight than I anticipated. The “wine of the vintage,” this inky/purple-colored 2001 boasts a provocative, floral perfume of crushed stones, raspberries, blackberries, creme de cassis, licorice, and smoke. What makes it so sensational are the layers of flavor and nuances that unfold as the wine sits in the glass as well as on the palate. This is an extraordinarily intense effort, but remarkably elegant and well-balanced. It ideally needs another decade of cellaring; it should last for 4-5 decades! Alain Vauthier is a perfectionist, which is evidenced by what he has produced over the last half dozen vintages at Ausone. Kudos to readers lucky enough to find a bottle or two ... and live long enough to enjoy them in their prime.

(10-2021) The display of minerality notes, with all its crushed rock, salt, and oceanic nuances is all over the place here. Still young, but slowly coming into its own, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated and fresh, with notes of flowers, cherries, leaf, and a myriad of dark red berries come through on the nose. The palate is rich, focused, complex and energetic with great tension, and did I mention the pallet of crushed rocks and limestone that come along all that fruit. As a guess, another 5 years will add more delicacy and comeplxity bringing this to right place for consumption.

(06-2002)

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