Chapelle d'Ausone, St Emilion Grand Cru, 2022

Name: Chapelle d'Ausone, St Emilion Grand Cru
Brand: Château Ausone
Price: 1064.74 GBP

Available Vintages

all 2008 2009 2010 2011 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

justerini & brooks tasting note

The 2022 Chapelle d'Ausone is a blend of 60% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Fermentation and maceration takes place in thermoregulated wooden vats before aging in new oak barrels for about 20 months. The father and daughter team of Alain and Pauline Vauthier make wonderfully ethereal wines from the exceptional limestone slopes below Chateau Ausone. Chapelle represents about 25% of the production from the Ausone vineyard in 2022 and we found it slightly harder to assess than usual, less dramatic, more controlled and reserved. That said, with coaxing, one gets a glimpse at the glorious bouquet of wildflowers, stones, blood orange and camphor. The palate is layered and multifaceted, with impressive concentration and lots of nuance. At this stage the tannins are more dominant than usual and need to find a harmony with the fruit, but there's plenty of potential here.

critic reviews

92/100Chris Kissack,The Wine Independent

The blend here majors on Cabernet Franc, at 60% of the total, with 40% Merlot, and the élevage was in 100% new oak, gently toasted, for 20 months. A nose of confit blackcurrant and blackberry, with violet cream and white peach purity. The Cabernet shows beautifully here, but even this does not prepare you for the absolute harmony and finesse displayed on the palate, the wine caressing every taste bud like it were silk, easing itself along in a diaphanous fashion, before the ripe tannic structure begins to poke through the fibres. Dark fruits, floral nuances, wonderful freshness and lift, the finish light-footed and joyous, surely this is the best La Chapelle d’Ausone ever? Well, one of them, at least A super second wine, with a long grip, and fine cellaring potential. The alcohol on the label is 15%, which fits with that confit concentration on the nose, but there is no suggestion of heat on the palate, and the fruit is pure. I can only admire it.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2054

date of review 06/2025

95/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

A great vintage that shows the paradox of limestone, its ability to deliver fragrance and finesse and a touch of austerity even in the most opulent of vintages. 100% new oak for ageing, last year of organic conversion. A beautiful Chapelle that will charm for decades.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2042

date of review 03/2025

92/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2022 Chapelle d'Ausone has an intense nose with black cherry and blueberry aromas, with a touch of crushed oyster shell, although the latter is not as pronounced as in barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with a patina of new oak to be absorbed (100% new). Again, a touch of oyster shell tinctures the black fruit. I just feel some wood tannins right on the finish, which causes me to be more prudent with my evaluation.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2040

date of review 02/2025

91-93/100William Kelley,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

A blend of 60% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2022 Chapelle d'Ausone offers up aromas of cherries, raspberries and rose petals mingled with subtle hints of incense. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's taut and youthfully firm, concluding with a mineral finish.

date of review 04/2023