Is the 1999 Ausone the wine of the vintage? Dense purple color a compelling bouquet of licorice minerals black and blueberry liqueur extraordinary delineation high tannin superb extract and phenomenal richness all are the stuff of a legend. This wine seems impossible to have emerged from a vintage like 1999. Proprietor Alain Vauthier produced only 20000 bottles because he eliminated one-fourth of the tiny crop. The result is out-and-out fabulous but the wine needs 12-15 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2050.

Offers opulent aromas of meat toasty oak and ripe berries almost roasted in character. Full-bodied with chewy tannins but a rich and dried fruit aftertaste. Shows lots of new wood. Amazing concentration here. Endless wine for the vintage. Still needs time.-'89/'99 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2009). Best after 2011. -JS