Château Ausone — Château Ausone 1948

The 1948 Château Ausone from Saint-Émilion was one of the most extraordinary wine experiences of 2022 – even though it didn't earn a top score at 85 points. The bottle was offered online with the note that the cork had recently fallen into the bottle, which brought the price down accordingly. The purchase was made knowing that back in those days it actually happened that the cork was completely forgotten, and the capsule alone sometimes preserved the wine satisfactorily right up to the present day. Remarkably, the bottle even survived transport in summer heat. The wine was not oxidized. However, on a second wave of the finish, a very unpleasant fault came through that couldn't be clearly identified, though its cabbage-like impression was strongly reminiscent of reduction. The impressive bitter notes observed by other tasters as well could be confirmed. A deeply memorable experience in any case, even if not a flawless one.