Dark ruby with some pink at the edge, the 1988 Ausone exhibits notes of licorice, fennel seed, cinnamon, mineral, and red and black currants. In the mouth, the wine is light to medium-bodied and relatively disappointing. Again, a narrowness and hardness make for a wine that just simply doesn't deliver. The emperor's new clothes ... again and again. Anticipated maturity: Now-2020. Last tasted, 11/02.