One of a quartet of Saint-Émilion estates to be classified ‘Premier Grand Cru Classé A’, Château Ausone takes its name from the Bordeaux poet and teacher of rhetoric ‘Decimius Magnus Ausonius’ - who owned around forty hectares of vine in the area and whose literary work championed viticultural activity in Bordeaux long before the region became known for its wines.
Today, Château Ausone’s vineyard comprises fractionally more than seven hectares of Cabernet Franc and Merlot - with the former holding the majority share. The exact percentages of each grape in the resulting wine varies with each vintage but it is common for the Cabernet Franc variety to dominate. The three most recent vintages contained the following proportions: 2018 - 60% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot; 2017 - 55%, 45% and 2016 - an even split of the two varieties. A tiny amount of Cabernet Sauvignon is also planted at Ausone but this grape does not feature in the Grand Vin, rather it is included in certain vintages of the estate’s second wine ‘La Chapelle de Ausone’.
The vines - on average, fifty years old - occupy an elevated, southeast-facing position enjoying optimal sunlight and natural protection from the elements. This unique terroir is a key factor in the estate’s success. A diverse and atypical combination of sand, clay and limestone deposits give Château Ausone’s wines a distinct minerality that distinguishes it from other fine wines of the region.