(Click tab to close this window)


Cabernet Franc:
Cabernet Franc is one of the major red grape varieties worldwide, principally being grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as is the case with the Loire’s Chinon.

As might be expected it is in general it is very similar to its offspring Cabernet Sauvignon, however it buds and ripens at least a week earlier. This allows the vine to thrive in slightly cooler climates, such as the Loire and even Canada. The winged bunches are elongate and small-medium in size, with the berries being quite small and blue-black in colour, with fairly thin skins. The grape is highly yield sensitive, with over-cropping producing wines with more green, vegetal notes than is usual.

In France it is found predominantly in the Loire Valley and in the Libournais region of the Bordeaux. As of 2000, it was the sixth most widely planted red grape variety in the country. Internationally speaking it can be found in Italy, Canada, and the USA in significant quantities. Interestingly in the USA it is used by ‘Meritage’ wines that aim to emulate the Bordeaux blend in California, while in Canada it is used to produce superlative ice wines with immensely concentrated flavours.

Merlot:
Used for both blending and varietal wines, Merlot is the foremost grape in the Bordeaux. Merlot wines usually have a medium body with hints of berry, plum and currant. Its softness and fleshiness, combined with earlier ripening, makes Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, with its higher tannin levels. Its name comes from the Occitan word “merlot” which means “young blackbird” – a nod towards the grape’s beautiful dark-blue colour. An offspring of Cabernet Franc (and therefore a sibling of Cabernet Sauvignon), it was first mentioned in 1784 where a labelled wine made from the grape attracted praise from all quarters.

The grape can easily be identified by its loose bunches of large, plump grapes. The colour is less or a blue/black hue than Cabernet Sauvignon and it has a thinner skin, with correspondingly fewer tannins. Pruning has a massive impact on the outcome of the wine, with reduced yields giving higher quality wine. Merlot has a propensity to quickly over ripen after hitting its initial ripeness level, sometimes in a matter of a few days. The renowned Chateau Petrus favours early picking to ensure acidity and ageing potential, while other growers favour late picking and the added fruitiness that comes with the additional ripeness of the fruit.

Merlot is now the most commonly grown grape in France, which claims two thirds of the world’s total Merlot cultivation.



(Click here to close this window)

(Click tab to close this window)

Château Ausone is situated in Saint-Émilion in the Bordeaux region of France. Ausone is one of only two wines, along with Château Cheval Blanc, to receive the highest rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) status in the Classification of Saint-Emilion wine.

The second wine is Chapelle d'Ausone. Ausone takes its name from Decimus Magnus Ausonius (c309-c394), a statesman and poet from Bordeaux. He appears to have owned about 100 acres of vineyard in St Emilion. The modern estate dates from the 18th century, and supposedly lies within Ausonius' land.

For many years it was jointly owned by the Dubois-Challon and Vauthier families. When the Dubois-Challons tried to sell to François Pineau, owner of Latour, in 1997, the Vauthiers exercised their pre-emption rights and took 100% control. The Vauthiers also own Château Moulin St Georges.

Despite being one of the great names of Bordeaux, Ausone fell into decline until Pascal Delbeck was appointed in 1976. Michel Rolland was appointed the consultant wine-maker in 1995, with Delbeck retained as viticulturist.

The vineyard is 7.3ha : 55% cabernet franc and 45% merlot, planted 6000 plants per hectare. The average production is about 2000 cases, a sixth of Cheval Blanc.

The cellars are caves in the limestone cliffs beneath the town of St Emilion. Since taking full control of the winemaking and management of his family’s property, Alain Vauthier has made massive improvements at Ausone in the past few years. As a result, Ausone has returned to top First Growth form and vies with Petrus and Cheval Blanc as the right bank’s top chateau. With production levels even less than those of Petrus, Ausone has become one of the most demanded and hard-to-find wines of Bordeaux.

(Click here to close this window)

(Click tab to close this window)

Often described as “the hill with a thousand chateaux” this region boasts over 800 winegrowers in total – only just falling short of its hyperbolic status. The oceanic climate is made more temperate by the cooling presence of the Dordogne. The fall is a sunny affair which is fantastic for optimal ripening.

The terroir is comprised of four major zones. The centre is a limestone plateau surrounded by terraces of chalk, clays and then silts. In the northwest of the region there is much sand, while in the south in the Dordogne valley there are airier soils of tiny stones and sand.

Given the above, the wines of Saint-Emillon vary a great deal from composed and intricate to powerful and dense, with the former being sourced from the south and the latter coming from the uncompromising limestone core of the region.
Cabernet Sauvignon, which drags its heels in terms of ripening, has little place here. Instead Merlot and Cabernet Franc take the fore at 60% and 30% of vines planted, respectively.

If it were possible to generalise these distinct wines it would be fair to say that they are, for the most part, warm, corpulent and vivid in colour. Flavours of plump red fruit berries with undertones of creamy vanilla, saddle-leather and soft spices are also to be found. This is layered with a velvet texture provided by solid yet supple tannins – giving an overall fleshiness.

Soils: Limestone, clay-limestone, gravels, chalks and silts.
Size: 5,500 hectares
Output: 36,000,000 bottles
Type of wine produced: Full-bodied reds, for the most part
Grapes: Merlot, Cabernet Franc

[Click here for detailed map]  

(Click here close this window)