The 2018 La Clotte is a blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it slips seductively out of the glass with spicy scents of powdered cinnamon, cloves and Sichuan pepper over a core of stewed plums, boysenberries and kirsch, plus a waft of menthol. The medium-bodied palate possesses impressive energy, featuring bags of ripe black and red berries flavors with a lively backbone and fine-grained texture, finishing on a lingering mineral note. I didn’t have much of a chance to speak with Alain and Pauline Vauthier during my visit for primeurs. It was a crazy busy day at Ausone when I came—the place completely crammed with anxious visitors from all over the world waiting to taste. That was fine though, because I was at Ausone back in October when Pauline was managing the 2018 fermentations and had a chance to head into the winery with her then to see her method of “gentle infusion” in action; it involves a very clever means of using a forklift to gravity feed the juice onto the skin cap and allowing it to slowly trickle down through the skins. Tasting the 2018s during primeurs, I was overcome with the very satisfying sense that she absolutely nailed it back then. Château Ausone—one of the most envied vineyards in all of Bordeaux—truly excelled itself in 2018. Perched on Saint-Émilion’s famous limestone plateau and calcareous clay slope, it clearly showed its pedigree under 2018’s challenging conditions. The Vauthiers have produced a wine from this place and time that is at once intense, superbly nuanced and bursting with energy but has a rock-solid structure of perfectly ripe tannins. And it has tons of freshness that comes firstly from maintaining the vineyard’s signature low pH. (The pH was 3.65 this year, a little high for Ausone, but still incredible considering how many wines are over 3.8.) Secondly, that freshness comes from sparks of bright, crunchy fruit intermingled with rich, seductive layers. The alcohol, at 14.5%, grounds all the otherwise ethereal components with well-poised gravitas. Astonishingly great wine—brava! Published: Apr 01, 2021 Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Source: Robert Parker.