Chateau Ausone   Ausone

2001 Ausone

By Chateau Ausone

2001 Ausone from Chateau Ausone, Saint-Emilion, Bordeaux

The turn of the millennium gifted Bordeaux aficionados with the formidable 2001 vintage—a year that, despite being overshadowed by the heralded 2000 millesime, quietly matured into one of Saint-Emilion's most spellbinding narratives. In this illustrious lineage stands the 2001 Ausone, a testament to the deft hand required in sculpting a vintage where precision was paramount.

 

Channelling Terroir into Triumph

A season marked with climatic challenges, the year 2001, displayed a symphony of temperance and tenacity at Chateau Ausone. Here, the alchemy of tenacious vineyard management and the estate's inherent limestone and clay terroir conspired to yield grapes of exquisite balance. In your glass, this translates to a wine embracing its dual nature—both resonantly rich and exquisitely ethereal.

 

Investment Merits of a Stoic Vintage

The worthiness of the 2001 Ausone for astute collectors lies not just within its supple garnet hues nor its complex bouquet—where one may discern harmonised whispers of blackcurrant, cigar box, and violet—but also in its sophisticated deployment of structure and longevity. As it strides beyond its two-decade landmark, the wine articulates an elegance that is both profound and poised to evolve further under meticulous cellaring conditions.

In an investment landscape often captivated by bolder vintages, a connaisseur's portfolio is immeasurably enriched by such a nuanced inclusion as the 2001 Ausone—a wine that promises to unfurl layers of complexity with patient maturation.

 

En Primeur Epilogue

The endeavour of fine wine investment is eloquently embodied in bottles like the 2001 Ausone. Its quiet confidence assures that it settles gracefully into the annals of time while maintaining a vibrant presence on both palate and portfolio. Let this be an invitation to embrace the understated majesty of this superb Saint-Emilion offering—one which stands as a paragon, eloquently expressing its vintage's unique tale.

Current market price

$9,890.00

12x75cl

Highest score

98

POP score

330

Scores and tasting notes

98

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. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2050+.

Robert Parker Jr - The Wine Advocate, 29 June 2004

94

Tasted at the Ausone vertical in London. Deep garnet core with a dark ruby rim. The '01 has a very polished bouquet with notes of black cherries, blueberries, a touch of spice and noticeable warmth of alcohol. The palate is very sleek and sensuous on the entry, silky smooth although it discernibly lacks the weight and persistency of the '05. Red cherries, hints of kirsch, spice, orange zest and a touch of piquancy towards the finish, this Ausone is still relatively unresolved. Two of three bottles have not quite lived up to my earlier expectations. Drink 2012-2030. Tasted December 2009.

Neal Martin - Wine Journal Nov 2010

Vintage performance