2015 Haut Simard
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Tasting notes
This property is owned and managed by the Vauthier family of Château Ausone. The 2015 Haut-Simard is a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, aged in French oak barrels, 30% new, for about 12 months. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it displays pronounced notes of crushed black currants, black cherries and blueberries with touches of Indian spices, menthol and tilled soil. Medium to full-bodied, firm and pleasantly chewy with bags of personality and expression, it offers a good, long earthy finish.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Tim Atkin MW
More reviews and scores
From an estate owned by the Vauthier family (of Château Ausone), the 2015 Château Haut-Simard comes from an 8-hectare parcel just in front of Canon-la-Gaffelière that’s planted to (at 12,600 vines per acre!) 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The 2015 includes a higher percentage of Cabernet Franc than normal (40%) and is a gorgeous, finesse-driven effort that sports a deep purple color as well as lots of red fruits, spring flowers, forest floor, and a building minerality that shows more on the palate. Everything is in the right place, I love its purity, and while far from unapproachable, it should be at its best from 2020-2035.
Very dark purple. Light and appetising. Racy and fine. An athlete of a wine. (JR)
Alain Vauthier's 2015 Haut-Simard is gracious and light on its feet. The impression is of a nearly weightless, lifted Saint-Émilion built on aromatics, perfume and nuance, due in part to the significant presence (40%) of Cabernet Franc. Sweet floral notes meld into a core of red cherry, plum, mint and tobacco are beautifully delineated throughout. The oak is a bit pronounced today. Otherwise, this is another fine effort from the Vauthier family. Haut-Simard is 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc from clay, sand and gravelly soils planted at densities of up to 12,600 vines per hectare.
About the producer
Ch. Haut-Simard is owned by the Vauthier family of Ch. Ausone. Since Alain Vauthier took over the Saint-Emilion estate in 2008, quality here has risen exponentially with vintages from 2019 onwards in particular showing the potential of this exceptional terroir.