Tasted on three occasions within a two-month period, the 1996 Ausone is an impressive wine, but one that I feel does not reach the heights that Alain Vauthier and latterly his daughter Pauline have reached more recently. Deep and more youthful in color than previous bottles, it delivered a minty, floral, almost Margaux-like bouquet whose intensity has remained undimmed in all the years I have been tasting it. The palate is medium-bodied with a heady attack on the entry, a little warmth here that slightly smudged the delineation, Merlot in the driving seat for the first half and the Cabernet Franc component imparting blueberry and cassis notes on the finish. There is something a little showy about this Ausone -- certainly a very fine Saint Emilion and very respectable considering that this was not a propitious Right Bank vintage. Then again, in retrospect one can view it as a stepping stone to the successes of the 21st century. Tasted February 2015.

Complex aromas of blackberry, coffee, cedar and lightly grilled meat. Full-bodied and very structured, with silky tannins and a long, caressing finish. Slightly hollow center palate.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now. -JS