Chateau Ausone 1990

WEINWISSER: "Tiefes Granat, satt in der Mitte. Zu Beginn eher schwierig, dann süsser werdend, rotbeerige Tendenzen, zarte Honignoten, vielschichtig. Im Gaumen viel Konzentration, sattes, fast komprimiertes, essenzhaftes Extrakt, trockene Adstringenz. Ein gewaltiger Wein, dessen wirkliche Genussphase erst in etwa zehn Jahren richtig beginnt."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Chewy, monolithic wine. Aromas of dried herbs and berries. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a tar, tobacco aftertaste. Puckers your mouth with tannins. Will improve with age.--1990 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2005. 2,150 cases made."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "After revealing some amber at the edge as well as copious aromas of fruitcake, crushed rocks, incense, and a weedy character, the 1990 Ausone offers up sweet, jammy fruit notes as well as a firm finish with the tell-tale crushed rock minerality that this estate often achieves. The aromatics suggest a fully mature wine, but in the mouth, the firm structure and density indicate this effort needs more time. This wine gives off mixed signals, and I suspect it will last much longer than it appears, but only time will tell. There is a lot to like here, but the 1990 is not one of the most profound Ausones, such as those made since 1998. Owners should try a bottle and make up their own minds, but I think it has another 10- to 15-year window of maximum pleasure."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Mid-crimson with ruby rim. Toasty, appetising nose with some vigour. Very elegant wine with a certain noblesse and certainly some tannins for the future. But not all-enveloping class. Quite rigid tannins for the amount of fruit."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "On the sharp, bright, red berry side of the style range, with crushed stone, thyme and forest leaf edge, the wine is medium bodied, fresh, and ready to go. You find a sharp, semi sweet, red berry note dominating the finish."