2018 Ao Yun Shangri-La

The Ao Yun Shangri-La 敖云云南香格里拉 2018 is the first vintage of this already most famous Chinese wine, produced in the foothills of the Himalayas (Shangri-La - Yunnan - China) by LVMH, under the leadership of Maxence Dulou, a winemaker originally from Bordeaux. and known for: Cheval Blanc, Le Tour de Pin and Quinault L'Enclos. The Chinese winery Ao Yun in the Yunnan province is regarded as one of the top wines of China and shows that great wines are made in this relatively new wine country. The vineyards of Ao Yun are located at the foot of the sacred Meili Mountain at a dizzying altitude of 2,100-2,600 meters.

It all started with a dream. The dream of creating a world-class fine wine in Bordeaux style in China. Ao Yun is a dream come true, an incredible adventure that began in 2008 with a four-year quest, through lands that had never been explored for wine growing. A quest for the perfect place to make a great red wine. LVMH set its sights on an atypical terroir near the city of Shangri-La, in the foothills of the Himalayas, in the north of Yunnan province. The vineyard, spread over four villages, is tended entirely by hand by local farmers, who are trained in viticulture, while remaining faithful to the agro-ecological traditions that this land has known for hundreds of years. Situated at an altitude of between 2,200 and 2,600 meters above sea level, the estate is named after the beautiful clouds that gather above the permanently snow-capped mountain ranges: in Mandarin, "Ao Yun" means "flying above the clouds"

Ao Yun is a subtle compromise between freshness and maturity, tension and density. Only half of the grapes harvested made it into the blend of the new vintage, reflecting an unparalleled level of precision since the first harvest in 2013. The Ao Yun is a blend with a predominance of Cabernet Sauvignon (67%), supplemented with Cabernet Franc (17%), Merlot (10%), Syrah (10%) and Petit Verdot (6%). A wine handcrafted from the estate's 314 plots, which are in turn divided into more than 700 sub-plots. Very limited production, half of which is intended for the local market, making Ao Yun a rare wine. Complex maturation without excessive use of oak, starting with five months in pots for 50% of the production, then ten months in barrels, 30% of which are new. The wine is packed in original packaging in elegant bamboo cases (OWC/1 and OWC/6). There are less than 10,000 bottles of the 2019 distributed via Place du Bordeaux and the 2019 has received very high ratings. James Sucklin (98/100) writes: "This is the best vintage of Ao Yun to date and also the highest-scoring Chinese wine I have ever reviewed"

Under the tab: Attachment you will find a beautiful video and several photos of the performances of this iconic Chinese wine.

FACT: The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you come to pick up the wine you will often also receive a nice discount . You will see your discount immediately when you choose 'Pick up' on the checkout page. We are located in Dordrecht almost next to the A16 with plenty of parking. Click here for our address.