1947 Ausone

Tasted this spring, the 1947 Ausone showed spectacularly well. Soaring from the glass with striking aromas of Indian spices, sweet red berries, wilted rose petals, menthol, cedar, dried orange rind and vine smoke, it's medium to full-bodied, supple and seamless, with a concentrated core of fruit, melting tannins and a bright structural spine, concluding with a long, intensely mineral finish. To my palate, this is much more interesting today than the sweeter, somewhat raisiny 1947 Cheval Blanc, and in that sense at least, it represents a relative bargain.