France · Saint-Émilion

Château Ausone

Château Ausone is Saint-Émilion's most singular estate: 7 hectares on a south-facing limestone cliff above the medieval town, producing approximately 25,000 bottles per year of a wine that is among the most concentrated and age-worthy on the Right Bank. The estate takes its name from the Roman poet Ausonius, said to have farmed vines here in the 4th century AD — whether the connection is real or apocryphal, it has given the estate a classical prestige that underpins its premium. The blend is approximately 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot, a balance uncommon in Saint-Émilion and reflecting the estate's limestone plateau terroir where Cabernet Franc thrives. For most of the 20th century, Ausone underperformed its classification — owned jointly by the Dubois-Challon and Vauthier families in a frequently contentious partnership. Alain Vauthier took sole control in 1995 and transformed the estate: precision viticulture, very low yields, and meticulous selection produced a series of wines from 1995 onward that restored Ausone's claim to be the finest wine in Saint-Émilion. The 1998, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2010, and 2015 vintages under Vauthier are among the most acclaimed on the Right Bank. In a surprise move in 2021, the Vauthier family sold 40% of the estate to Hubert de Boüard de Laforest of Château Angélus — a transaction that reduced Ausone's production and raised questions about its future direction.