Château Ausone: Saint-Émilion's smallest yet oldest Class A estate, steeped in two thousand years of terroir magic.
I. Historical Heritage: The Gifts of the Land from the Roman Poet Ossonius
Château Ausone's history dates back to Roman times, around 320 AD. The winery's name, "Ausone," is in honor of Decimus Magnus Ausonius, a famous Roman poet and statesman. Born in Bordeaux around 310 AD, Ausonius served as governor of the Bordeaux region and rector of the region's highest institution of learning. He not only praised Bordeaux and its wines in his poetry but is also considered one of the earliest pioneers of Bordeaux winemaking.
Legend has it that the current site of Château Ausone was once the residence of Ausonius. At the foot of the hillside where the estate is located, the ruins of a Roman villa have even been discovered. During a recent replanting of the vineyards, archaeologists discovered remnants of Roman walls and other artifacts. This continuity of history spanning two millennia makes Château Ausone stand out among Bordeaux's many prestigious estates, earning it the reputation as one of the oldest and most renowned top-tier estates.
The estate's lineage is also remarkably stable. Since the 14th century, Château Ausone has only experienced three major family changes—the Lescours family, the Jacques de Lescure family, and the Vauthier family. This frequency is extremely rare among Bordeaux estates, which frequently change hands. Currently, Château Ausone is jointly managed by Alain Vauthier, the 11th generation of the Vauthier family, and his daughter, Pauline Vauthier.
II. Scale and Status: The Miniature Legend of Saint-Émilion
Despite being one of Saint-Émilion's top wineries, Château Ausone is remarkably small in size. Its vineyards cover only about 7 to 7.25 hectares (approximately 17.3 acres).
In the Saint-Émilion classification system, Château Ausone was long considered one of the highest-ranking "Premier Grand Cru Classé A" estates, alongside Château Cheval Blanc, until 2012 when it joined Château Angélus and Château Pavie, becoming one of the four Class A estates. However, Château Ausone is the smallest of these four Class A estates.
Rarity of Annual Production: Château Ausone's annual production is extremely low, with only about 2,000 to 2,500 cases (approximately 18,000 to 20,000 bottles) of its grand vin produced each year, even less than Château Pétrus in Pomerol. This extreme scarcity is a key factor in Ausone's high price and exceptional collectability on the international market. Six bottles of 2015 Château Ausone were priced at approximately £5,000 (about $6,600 USD) in the UK in 2019, while a single bottle of 2005 was close to £2,000 (about $2,650 USD).
III. Unique Geographical Magic: The Secrets of the Limestone Plateau
The "magic" of Ausone Castle lies in its unique geographical location and limestone soil.
Excellent location: The winery is situated on the edge of a limestone plateau in the village of Saint-Émilion, at one of the highest points in the village, at an altitude of nearly 80 meters. The vineyards face east or southeast, allowing them to bask in plenty of sunshine while effectively blocking winds from the northwest.
The key is the limestone soil: Château Ausone's soil is mainly composed of calcareous clay and limestone, with the underlying layer even being asteria limestone. Approximately 90% of the vineyards are located on extremely steep slopes (15% to 20%), with the topsoil layer averaging only 30 to 40 centimeters thick, allowing the grape roots to easily penetrate to the underlying limestone.
Pauline Vauthier, co-owner of the winery, emphasizes that Ausone's magic begins and ends here; it is this terroir that creates the winery's unique character.
- Water regulation capacity: Limestone has excellent permeability and drainage. When there is too much rain, the porous limestone can absorb the excess water; and when it is dry, it will return the water to the roots, ensuring that the grapevines receive an adequate supply of water.
- Mineral flavor: Limestone soil provides grapevines with a variety of minerals, and it is this unique geological structure that gives Ausone red wine its intense mineral character.
- Microclimate protection: Thanks to its superior terroir, the vineyards of Château Ausone have not been severely damaged by several serious frosts in history (such as in 1892 and 1956), proving their ideal microclimate conditions.
Aging in Natural Cellars: Château Ausone's limestone cellars are another legend. Located in the limestone layers beneath the vineyards, these cellars reach depths of up to 25 meters, with only the highest level currently used for storing oak barrels. The estate's flagship wines are aged for up to 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels within these natural cellars. The stable humidity and temperature of the cellars provide exceptional conditions for long-term aging, widely recognized as one of the most crucial steps in winemaking.
IV. Brewing Philosophy: The elegant structure and exceptional aging potential of a high proportion of Cabernet Franc
Unlike most Saint-Émilion wineries that primarily use Merlot, Château Ausone's vineyard composition is key to its elegant flavor. Its main red grape varieties are 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot. This high proportion of Cabernet Franc imparts elegance, crispness, and violet-like aromas to Ausone reds.
The winery's vines have an average age of 50 years and include some of the oldest vines in Saint-Émilion, with some Cabernet Franc vines approaching 100 years old, the oldest of which was planted in 1906.
Château Ausone's flagship wine can continue to age for 50 years or more after bottling. Robert Parker once remarked, "If patience isn't your virtue, then there's no point in buying a bottle of Ausone." Among its many outstanding vintages, Château Ausone's 2005, 2009 (RP 98-100 points), and 2018 all received perfect scores of 100 or near-perfect scores from Robert Parker.
V. A Declaration of Independence from Grading: Terroir, Viticulture, and Time are the True Standards
Despite Château Ausone holding the highest honor of PGCC A, in 2021, the winery and Château Cheval Blanc jointly announced their withdrawal from the Saint-Émilion classification system.
Pauline Viotti, co-owner of Château Ausone, stated that while the decision wasn't made jointly with Château Cheval Blanc, the reasons were the same. They felt the current rating system placed too much emphasis on "operational sales" aspects such as marketing, social media following, and wine tourism facilities. Viotti emphasized that the standard for measuring great wines should be "terroir, viticulture, and time." She criticized the classification system for judging solely based on blind tastings of the most recent 15 vintages, arguing that this timeframe is too short for truly great wines capable of aging for decades.
Although it has withdrawn from the classification, the market generally believes this will not damage Château Ausone's status. Many buyers and consumers say they will continue to purchase Château Ausone's products because of its "strong and historic brand" and its consistently excellent quality. Starting with the 2022 vintage, Château Ausone will no longer label its wines as Premier Cru Classé A.
Château de la Déburger's Exclusive Selection of Château Ausone
As a recycler, we at Château de la Château Ausone are well aware of its rarity and long-term investment value. Whether you're looking for the grand vin with its potential for 100 years of aging, or the second label "Chapelle d'Ausone," whose quality rivals that of many renowned estates, we offer the most competitive buying and selling services.
For example, Château Ausone's second label is of extremely high quality; the 2012 vintage received 95 points from James Suckling and 92 points from Robert Parker. Parker praised the 2012 Château Ausone Chapel as "better than many vintages of Château Ausone from the 1940s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s."
Reference prices for select vintages of Château Ausone's flagship wines (converted to Hong Kong dollars):
| Wine (Vintage) | Rating (RP) | Taiwanese store price quote (NT$) | Reference Hong Kong Dollar Price (HKD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Château Ausone (2005) | 100 | $59,990 | Approximately HK$15,000* |
| Château Ausone (2009) | 98-100 | $61,568 | Approximately HK$15,392* |
| Château Ausone (2018) | 100 | $37,400 | Approximately HK$9,350* |
*Note: Due to the lack of real-time exchange rate data for the day, the above Hong Kong dollar reference price is estimated based on the Taiwan dollar (NT$) price in the source material using a representative exchange rate (assuming NTD 1 ≈ HKD 0.25), and is only used to illustrate the price range.
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