1997 Ausone

Alain Vauthier used osmose inverse at Ausone for the first time in '99 (previously he had only concentrated his musts via saignee), eliminating nine hectoliters of water from two cuves. He described the results as miraculous. "The water taken out had no taste," he claimed, "so there is a true concentration of the fruit. Of course you can't do this with bad grapes or unhealthy skins." The yield at Ausone in '99 was just 34 hectoliters per hectare, actually a bit lower than in the previous year. The '99, a blend of 55% cabernet franc and 45% merlot, is one of the two or three top wines of the appellation, but the '98 is even stronger.

Alain Vauthier's potentially great '98 is one of the most complex wines of the vintage, from one of Bordeaux's greatest sites. Ausone harvested between September 28 and October 5, in "a series of small bursts," according to Vauthier, and even the cabernet franc here came in with potential alcohol in the high 12.8% range. The extraction is relatively short here, and in '98 Vauthier carried out less frequent, gentler remontages "The more I taste, the more I think people here are overworking their wines," said Vauthier.

Since taking over full control here with the '95 vintage, the dynamic Alain Vauthier has thoroughly revitalized this wine, to the point where traditional fans of Ausone claim to be having trouble recognizing the recent results. But with the '95 now safely in bottle, and the '96 and '97 among the early standouts of their respective vintages, it is clear to this taster that Vauthier will be vindicated. He has cut yields, moved to later harvesting of riper fruit, introduced a five-to-six day cold maceration in the first cuve (using carbonic gas to prevent the fermentation from starting), and switched to malolactic fermentation in barriques In 1997, he did four passes through the vines to eliminate less-ripe fruit, and eventually harvested just 34 hectoliters per hectare of fruit that needed barely a half-degree of chaptalization. Incidentally, Vauthier will complete a new fermentation and barrel-aging facility in time for the 1998 harvest, having concluded that this estate extensive limestone caves are better suited for impressing tourists than for raising young wine. Though viewed for decades as a fabulous natural resource, these cold, humid caves are poorly ventilated and plagued with aromas of mushroom and mold. No doubt some of the charges of sloppy elevage leveled at Ausone through the years have been due to the insidious effects of this environment, though it may also be true that some Ausone "purists" enjoy these aromas and flavors.