Tasting Notes
Antonio Galloni 92
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.
Anticipated maturity: 2026-2036
Neal Martin 90
The 2021 Chapelle d’Ausone has a well-defined bouquet, the Cabernet Franc firmly in the driving seat here, with pencil box and undergrowth infusing the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, silky smooth in texture and neither deep nor concentrated, but retaining commendable tension on the finish. Enjoy it over the next decade.
Anticipated maturity: 2025-2036
Wine Advocate 91-93
Inviting aromas of berries and plums mingled with vine smoke, spices and loamy soil introduce the 2021 Chapelle d’Ausone, a medium to full-bodied, melting and precise wine that’s pretty and seamless, with lively acids and a long, penetrating finish. As usual, it’s a blend of wine from young vines with a few barriques of declassified Ausone.
James Suckling 94-95
Lots of cool blue fruit and violets with some stones and chocolate orange. Supple, silky and very sleek tannins. Medium to full body. Lengthy and fresh on the finish. 75% cabernet franc and 25% cabernet sauvignon.
Decanter 92
Soft perfume, green pepper, wild herbs, creamy black fruits, smoked cedar and dark chocolate – the Cabernet really shining through on the nose. Round and juicy on the palate, bright with lots of energy – almost-sour cherries, blueberries and freshly squeezed strawberry, a joyful burst of summer berry fruits. Subtle and soft in terms of texture with fine and smooth tannins, it’s not at all showy, more calm and quiet with a burst of red fruit, then the minerality and soft saltiness comes through. I like the different components, all individually very precise and brought together. A good effort for the vintage. No Merlot for the first time, this is a blend of 75% Cabernet Franc and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Anticipated maturity: 2025-2035
Jane Anson 92
Bright violet in colour, with ripe and sappy fruit. This is gorgeous, showing less intensity than recent vintages but a delicately-boned wine with hidden power that leans into the vintage, and is proof of how adaptive this terroir is – fresh in hot vintages, but generous in cool ones. Gooseberry, redcurrant, red cherry, raspberry, crushed rocks, and one of the rare 2nd wines that truly delivers in 2021. Philippe Baillarguet cellar master, 100% new oak, harvest October 4 to 6.
Anticipated maturity: 2026-2038
