A fine wine, this dark purple-colored effort reveals black raspberry, blackberry, mineral, and floral aromas in its complex, multidimensional bouquet. In the mouth, it is medium-bodied, with sweet, ripe fruit, firm tannin, good acidity, and a long, well-endowed, moderately tannic finish. Moreover, it will be a long-lived wine. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020. Wine Advocate # 128; Apr 2000 Robert Parker (91) points

An impressively-extracted wine, the 1997 was revealing copious black currant fruit in addition to floral and toasty smells. The color is a saturated dark ruby/purple, and the wine is ripe with low acidity as well as high tannin. Very rich for the vintage, with a pronounced sweet mid-palate, it appears to have considerable promise. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025. Wine Advocate # 122; Apr 1999 Robert Parker (91-92) points

I tasted this wine when I was in Bordeaux last November and was extremely impressed at that time. Now that it has had another four months of evolution, it is clearly one of the vintage's superstars. The color is a healthy dark purple, and the wine offers up celestial aromas of black fruits, licorice, minerals, and roasted Cote Rotie-like nuances. The wine's fascinating aromatics are matched by its exhilarating flavors. While not a powerhouse, and without the intensity, extraction, and richness of the 1996 and 1995, the 1997 is surreal in its display of complex aromas matched with intense but not heavy flavors. This medium-bodied wine reveals superb ripeness and glorious balance. It is a textbook example of how a wine can have remarkable flavor intensity and length, without being tiring to drink. This Ausone is forward, particularly for a wine from this estate, yet it is capable of lasting for more than two decades. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2020. Wine Advocate # 116; Apr 1998 Robert Parker (91-94) points