Bordeaux 2015 Primeurs: Château Ausone
After Château Cheval Blanc it seems only right to turn next to Château Ausone, which I visited at 9am on my first full day on the right bank (but after all those weekend tastings of course, so I already had a handle on the style of wines waiting to be discovered). The tasting of course always starts with the other Vauthier wines, beginning this year with Château Simard and then working up to Château La Clotte, which they purchased in September 2014. Thereafter comes the second wine, Chapelle d’Ausone, followed by the grand vin.
Speaking to Pauline Vauthier, it became clear that here at Château Ausone the quality of the Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and Cabernet Sauvignon too, of course) was seen as comparable. This was a feature of the vintage on which all the Bordelais seemed able to agree. This is not a Merlot vintage, not a Cabernet vintage, as all these varieties have done well. They have ripened well, and the weather at harvest time allowed both varieties to be picked in very good condition. The fruit was clean as crystal at harvest, regardless of whether it was Merlot or Cabernet. This was a vintage split not by variety but by the September rain, which hit some parts much harder than others. St Emilion was, of course, one part that got away with it, setting the scene for a great vintage in this appellation.
“We had a dry summer from May though to July”, said Pauline Vauthier. “We had a little rain, which was good, as it allowed us to reach a good maturity. It was very dry overall though, and we noticed that many plants with more superficial roots than the vines were wilting. The vines were healthy though, at least on the limestone, which acts like a sponge, absorbing and releasing water as required. On the sandy terroirs, the vines were a little more stressed though. Then, at harvest, we had no rain, and no rot”. On the quality of the two varieties, Pauline confirmed that both did well; “both varieties have excellent quality, that is why we ended up with a blend of 50% of each variety in the grand vin this year”.
