1979 Ausone
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Tasting notes
The 1979 Ausone was one of the surprise packages of the tasting, perhaps enhanced after tasting through a string of middling wines of the 1980s. It showed moderate ageing on the rim. The nose leaps like a jack-in-the-box with vibrant kirsch, liquorice and wild strawberry scents, like a kid jumping out from a hiding place and shouting “Bet you weren’t expecting that!” The palate is medium-bodied with vibrant red berry fruit infused with blood orange and tangerine. This feels so lively and vivid with just a hint of piquancy on the finish. Who knew? This must be one of the best Ausone wines of the decade apart from the 1976 and it comes highly recommended. Tasted at the Ausone vertical in London.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
A still youthful dark ruby with a pink rim, this wine shows notes of wet earth, red currants, mushroom, and spice box. The wine is medium-bodied, has a sort of liquid minerality, good sweet fruit on the attack, but then a relatively dry, astringent, harsh finish. This is typical of so many vintages of this wine that are just difficult for anyone with a modern-day taste for fruit to appreciate. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2025. Last tasted, 11/02.
Will it dry out? The color is still a healthy brilliant ruby, and while the wine remains relatively backward, there are ripe aromas of spicy black-cherries, minerals, and vanillin. Still austere, with noticeably high acidity, this medium-weight Ausone needs another decade of cellaring. The long finish remains dominated by its formidable tannin and acidity. Although showing better than it did several years ago, the 1979 appears to be a very good rather than profound example of Ausone. Last tasted, 5/93. Aug 1993, www.robertparker.com
About the producer
Ch. Ausone is one of Bordeaux’s most respected estates. At this small property, perched atop a hill overlooking the town of Saint-Emilion, the Vauthier family produces some of the finest wines in the region.