Saint-Émilion Grand Cru · outside the classification since 2022
Château Ausone: available vintages, prices and pairings
The grand vin of Ausone, vintage by vintage, with the format, the indicative price and what to expect from it today: ready to drink, or to keep. Tick what interests you, and the quote goes out with your selection.
Vintages on the price list
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The château
One of the smallest great growths in Bordeaux, under ten hectares on the limestone slope south of the town of Saint-Émilion, with its cellars dug into old quarries. It is named after the Latin poet Ausonius, who had a villa in the area in the 4th century. The Vauthier family runs it.
Mostly cabernet franc, with merlot. A very small production, wines for very long ageing. Premier grand cru classé A from the first classification in 1955, Ausone withdrew from the 2022 one. Its second wine is called Chapelle d'Ausone. The other châteaux of the appellation are on the page Saint-Émilion wines.
On its rocky promontory, the château spreads seven hectares of vines over small stone-walled terraces, sheltered from the wind and facing east-south-east, not far from where the Dordogne and the Isle meet. Part of the vineyard sits on the plateau of starfish limestone; on the slope, the vines root into clay-limestone, whose clay helps them in dry weather. The vines are 50 years old on average, more than a century in places. The estate points out that they survived the great frosts of 1892 and 1956. The farming borrows from organic and biodynamic methods, without strict rules.
What to serve it with
- A vintage more than twenty years old: a simply roasted game bird (wine with game).
- A vintage fifteen to twenty years old: saddle of lamb (wine with lamb), beef fillet (wine with beef).
- With cheese: an old Comté (wine with cheese).
Which vintage for which occasion
A rare bottle, to give to someone who knows. For a birthday, the year you want, if the table has it (birth-year vintage). The original wooden case matters to a collector.
Why is Ausone no longer classified?
Ausone was premier grand cru classé A. It withdrew from the 2022 classification, disagreeing with the criteria used (the weight given to wine tourism and communication compared with terroir and tasting). The wine has not changed; only the words have gone from the label.
Why is Ausone so expensive?
A small vineyard, so few bottles each year, against worldwide demand from collectors. The price follows rarity more than classification.
When should you drink a Château Ausone?
Allow fifteen years before opening it and fifty years of good form, a little more in a great year, a little less in a weak year or in half-bottle. The table applies this rule to each line; it is not a tasting note, and a badly stored bottle ages faster.
Are the prices shown the quote prices?
They are the indicative prices from the price list, incl. VAT, per bottle of the format, excluding delivery. The quote confirms the price, the availability of each vintage and the shipping; the delivery grid gives lead times. For a vintage not in the table, the quote request is still open.