The 1950 harvest at St. Emilion came after a difficult growing season that tested even the most experienced vignerons. Spring frosts threatened early budbreak, and a cool and wet summer delayed ripening throughout the right bank. However, Château Ausone's privileged location on a limestone plateau proved its worth once again. The south-facing and well-drained slopes allowed the Merlot and Cabernet Franc varieties to fully ripen despite the difficult conditions. This harvest demonstrated the resilience of Ausone's terroir, creating wines of outstanding concentration and structure that reward decades of patience in the cellar.
Vinous (91)
The 1950 Ausone, born in a vintage that favoured the Right Bank, was surprisingly dark in colour. It feels a little withdrawn at first, atypically austere although well defined, eventually if reluctantly offering cedar and woodland scents with aeration though not the fruit intensity of say, the 1950 Cheval Blanc. After ten minutes, that leitmotif of mint gradually unfurls. The palate is pretty with black cherry and boysenberry fruit and here things get more interesting. Like other vintages of this era there is a Left Bank personality to this Saint-Émilion, hints of blueberry coming through with graphite and bay leaf and hints of Earl Grey. It is a fascinating Ausone and though the Cheval Blanc was better this year, this 1950 still has plenty to offer. Tasted at the Ausone vertical in London. Tasted 2018.
Rene Gabriel (18)
Sheer perfection. Such an incredibly dense, complex wine aristocrat with fine herbal notes and incredible length, intense minerality, tremendous structure, fine sweetness, a wine of the brand "Speechless"
BOW (9)
