Château Ausone, 2025
Château Ausone, 2025
- 75cl
- 14%
- Red Still
- Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Please note, en primeur wines are not available for delivery until they arrive in the UK
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Est. delivery in 2028.
Château Ausone occupies the most coveted site in Saint-Émilion, perched on the limestone slopes where Cabernet Franc and Merlot achieve something close to perfection. The 2025 vintage captures all the precision and intensity we've come to expect from this legendary estate, where just seven hectares produce one of Bordeaux's most sought-after wines.
What the critics say:
"Dark ruby garnet, violet reflections, subtle edge brightening. Nuances of orange zest, ripe cherries, a hint of dark forest berries, floral touch, delicate precious wood spice, mineral nuances. Juicy, tightly meshed, red fruit nuances, fine spice notes, finesse-rich structure, elegant, well adhering, red berry on the finish, finesse-rich, mineral-salty, very good length, delicate style, delicate licorice, sure maturity potential."
Ausone's vineyards cling to the steep limestone plateau and slopes of Saint-Émilion's côte, with vines planted directly into the limestone bedrock that once formed ancient sea beds. The shallow topsoil forces roots deep into the limestone, creating wines of extraordinary mineral complexity and natural concentration. The south-facing exposure maximises sunlight whilst the limestone provides natural drainage and reflects heat back to the grapes, creating ideal ripening conditions even in challenging vintages.
Saint-Émilion represents the Right Bank's greatest expression of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with its limestone plateau and clay-limestone slopes producing wines of elegance and longevity that rival the Left Bank's greatest estates. The appellation's classification system, unique in Bordeaux, places Ausone alongside Cheval Blanc at the summit as Premier Grand Cru Classé 'A', a status reflecting both terroir and consistent excellence. Unlike the Médoc's gravel-based soils that favour Cabernet Sauvignon, Saint-Émilion's limestone and clay encourage Merlot and Cabernet Franc to achieve remarkable depth and complexity.
The 2025 Bordeaux vintage emerged from one of the most demanding growing seasons in recent memory — the earliest budbreak since 1989, June temperatures second only to 2003 since records began, and an unusually early harvest beginning in August for the whites. Conditions that should have produced heavy, overripe wines. They didn't. Decanter's Georgie Hindle, who tasted close to 200 wines ahead of the formal campaign, describes "exceptional concentration, aromatic purity and a freshness that contradicts the record-breaking heat.
The early critical consensus places 2025 stylistically between the precision of 2020 and the structure of 2016, with the brightness of 2023 — a combination that suggests a very serious vintage indeed. Yields are dramatically low, the smallest crop since 1991, with production across the Gironde running around 15% below the five-year average. The quality is here. There simply isn't very much of it.
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Château Ausone
