2012 Château Ausone, St Emilion, Bordeaux

With 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot, this is a rigorous wine, precise, compelling and striking.  As with Chapelle d’Ausone, the quality and ripeness of the Cabernet Franc was complete, but the late summer rains compromised the concentration expected of a great year. It is the politesse, however, which marks this wine out. A remarkable seam of freshness invigorates the wine, more so than in 2011 and one is left with a sensation of an almost Thatcher-esque dressing-down; perhaps uncomfortable in parts, but also poised, composed and certainly thorough and, depending on your expectations, almost certainly good for you in the long run. There is no immediate gratification here, but a class act for the medium to long term.
Mark Pardoe MW, Wine Buying Director