2006 Ausone

Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London.The 2006 Château Ausone has a fragrant bouquet compared to the 2006 Pavie, fomenting more secondary aromas such as smoke, cigar box, potpourri and a smear of Seville orange marmalade. The palate is very refined on the entry, rounded and supple in the mouth. It clearly does not have the density and weight of the Pavie, but it exerts an insistent grip in the mouth and the tannins have symmetry on the finish. It is a very fine Ausone, although Alain Vauthier has overseen better vintages in recent years. Tasted January 2016.

Tasted blind. Mid crimson. Quite rich and sweet on the nose – ambitious! Dry finish after light cordite impact. Very dry end. Relatively austere. (JR)

Mid crimson. Pale rim. Rather strange ashy nose with an edge of vegetation. Quite restrained in build – certainly no excess of sweetness nor oak though there is some slightly cheesy creaminess on the finish. Still quite a bit of tannin in evidence. Not a standout first. Just nice texture but the flavours are not mind-blowing. (JR)