Château Ausone is one of the four prestigious Premier Grand Cru Classé A estates in Saint-Émilion, an elite group on Bordeaux’s Right Bank. It is the smallest of these renowned properties and boasts the oldest historical roots. The estate’s name, first recorded in 1529, honors the Roman poet Decimus Magnus Ausonius. The Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) is one of the most sought after St-Emilions made. At most, just 2,000 cases are produced each vintage, helping to fuel demand when supply is so limited. Ausone has 7 hectares of uniquely placed vineyards, perched on a limestone hillside and protected from the harsher elements. So unique is their situation that Robert Parker described it as ‘hallowed terroir’. The Vauthier family have owned Ausone since 1690 and the 11th generation, Alain and his daughter Pauline, oversee the estate today along with the expertise of consultant oenologist Michel Rolland. Alain has been credited with raising the profile of Ausone when he took over in the 1990s and it has been almost unstoppable since.
