The Château Ausone is a mythical name of the Saint-Emilion vineyard, tracing its path off the beaten track and embodying a style that belongs only to it. It is a Domaine which owes its name to the Latin poet Decimus Magnus Ausonius, also a professor and political advisor of the Late Roman Empire, born in Bordeaux in the year 309. In the 1960s and 1970s, two families fought over the property, the Dubois-Chalon and the Vauthier, especially over how to manage the vineyard and vinification. Alain Vauthier finally took control in 1995 and by 1998, Château Ausone had regained its place among the most prestigious wines of Bordeaux.
During the first edition of the Saint-Emilion classification in 1955, Château Ausone reached the privileged position of Premier Grand Cru Classé "A". It kept this distinction until the 2021 vintage included. At the beginning of the year 2022, Domaine will choose to withdraw from the classification, the next edition of which was to be official in September of the same year. Thus, from the 2022 vintage, the label of Château Ausone will mention only the Saint-Emilion appellation Grand Cru.
The Château Ausone is located on a 7-hectare vineyard with full southern exposure at mid-slope of the Saint-Emilion hillside, on limestone soils covered with a superficial layer of gravel. The grape varieties are 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. The wines are aged for 16 to 18 months in French oak barrels, 85% of which are new.
The property produces a Second wine, La Chapelle d'Ausone, whose quality is very close to and very faithful to its elder.
The Château Ausone does not demerit its reputation no matter what the vintages. Production remains low, barely 20,000 bottles per year, but the signature of its exceptional terroir is always present: aromatic richness, velvety tannins, finesse and generosity.
