2021 La Chapelle D'Ausone

The 2021 Chapelle d’Ausone is a wine of total precision and class. Bright acids drive through a core of sweet red cherry, red plum, blood orange, chalk and mint. This is a seductive, super-expressive Saint-Émilion. There are no hard edges or angular contours here. Readers will find a wine of pure sophistication. It should drink beautifully for the next 10-15 years, maybe more.

- Antonio Galloni (12/2023)

Some sage flower, orange blossom, violet and currant aromas follow through to a medium body, with soft and velvety tannins that show depth and texture. Pure, pretty and supple. Second wine of Ausone. 75% cabernet franc and 25% cabernet sauvignon. Better in a year or two. (07/2024)

A unique blend of 75% Cabernet Franc and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon that hit roughly 300 cases, the 2021 Chapelle D'Ausone comes from a selection of all the parcels and was raised in 90% new barrels. (It's the first time this cuvée has never included Merlot.) Cassis, redcurrants, spring flowers, iron, truffle, and sappy, tobacco-like notes all emerge from this refined, elegant, incredibly lengthy second wine. With good concentration, medium body, and a focused, seamless, yet still structured style, you could easily put this up with the top wines of the vintage. (04/2024)

A blend of 75% Cabernet Franc and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Chapelle d’Ausone is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a lot of swirling to bring forward notes of fresh raspberries, Morello cherries, and cardamom, giving way to hints of iron ore, pencil shavings, crushed rocks, and lavender. The light-bodied palate is wonderfully delicate, with a quiet intensity of red berry and mineral layers, supported by very fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and fragrant. Very pretty! Only about 3,500 bottles were made. (04/2024)

The 2021 Chapelle d'Ausone wafts from the glass with notes of cherries, sweet berries and licorice framed by a creamy patina of new oak. Medium-bodied, pure and refined, with powdery tannins and a bright spine, it concludes with a mineral, vanillin-inflected finish. The blend contains no Merlot, as everything the vines produced went into the grand vin.

- William Kelley (02/2024)