2005 Ch. Ausone, St Emilion

Owner Alain Vauthier's modest yet confident smile immediately gave us a clue that he had made a special wine this year. Made from 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot, it has a wonderful ethereal dark chocolate and black fruit nose followed by an unbelieveably rich and concentrated palate of fresh, but incredibly intense, brambly fruit. A formidable structure with massive but very fine tannins comes courtesy of the old vine Cabernet Franc. This is a monster of a wine that resounds and reverberates with flavour, with the complex and very, very long finish revealing new nuances every few seconds. This is a dream wine looks set to be one of the greatest wines ever made.