Chateau Ausone 2012 is a Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé built on Cabernet Franc rather than sheer power, floral and finely drawn where many Bordeaux of the year lean plush. Perfume, fine tannin and length are what mark it out, not weight.

Violets and briar lead the aromatics, with cassis, dark cherry and a lick of mint and liquorice behind them. Air brings savoury herbs, crushed stone and a faint smokiness that keeps the fruit from ever seeming sweet.

The 2012 blend of 55% Cabernet Franc and 45% Merlot shows in the shape of the palate: medium to full-bodied, tightly wound, with tannins that are firm but polished and a crisp acid line running the length of it. Fruit sits deep rather than forward, and the finish is long, mineral and insistent, closing on chalk and dried herb rather than fruit.

Serve with roast squab, rare beef fillet with bone marrow, slow-cooked lamb shoulder or a plate of hard sheep's milk cheeses. Decant an hour ahead — this is a wine that takes its time settling in the glass.

Drinking well from 2024 and with the structure to hold and improve for two decades or more from good storage.