Winemaker and Vineyard: Perched on its rocky promontory, the château distributes its seven hectares of vines in small terraces. Encircled with stone, the plots are thus sheltered from the wind and enjoy perfect East South-East exposure. The sun, very generous, teams up with the Dordogne and Isle rivers that converge nearby: together, they fine-tune a microclimate ideal for the vine. Nature here bestows the elements: everything contributes to guaranteeing, season after season, the finesse of the fruit. But it is also out of sight, in the secrets of the soil, that the alchemy of the place is played out: part of the vineyard lies on a plateau of asteriated limestone. In this rock, the vine draws its energy, without excess. On the slope, it is in clayey limestone that it takes root. It meets clay there, beneficial in dry weather. Two lands, a single sense of hospitality: Ausone's slopes welcome and ripen the parcels with balance.

Tasting: The 2018 Ausone is a blend of 60% Cabernet Franc and 40% Merlot. Deep garnet-purple in color, rather predictably, the nose is almost completely shut-down on first sniff, taking considerable aeration to begin to reveal its jaw-dropping perfume of ripe black cherries, wild blueberries and plum preserves, leading to suggestions of candied violets, molten chocolate, licorice and crushed rocks with subtle cedar and pencil lead hints. The medium to full-bodied palate (14.5% alcohol) is so tightly wound and nuanced at this stage, it requires a lot of focus unravel all that is going on here. In short: a lot. The ripe, rich, black and blue fruit layers eventually give way to the beautifully cerebral earthy/minerally subtext, carried by fantastically well-knit tension, delivering an incredibly long, foundation-shaking finish. If the earth doesn't move when you drink this, you're probably not doing it right. robertparker.com (31.03.2021)

Service: Serve at room temperature (16-18°C) to accompany a veal fillet with chanterelles.