2019 Ao Yun Shangri-La

The 2019 Ao Yun Shangri-La 敖云云南香格里拉 is the second 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 from Bordeaux. and known for: Cheval Blanc, Le Tour de Pin and Quinault L'Enclos. The Chinese winery Ao Yun in Yunnan province is regarded as one of China's top wines 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 Mount Meili at a dizzying altitude of 2,100-2,600 meters.

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

Ao Yun 2019 is a subtle compromise between freshness and maturity, tension and density. Only half of the harvested grapes made it to 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 over 700 sub-plots. Very limited production, half of which is destined for the local market, making Ao Yun a rare wine. Complex aging without excessive use of oak, starting with five months in jars for 50% of the production, then ten months in barrel, of which 30% new. The wine is packed in original packaging in elegant bamboo cases (OWC/1 and OWC/6). Less than 10,000 bottles of the 2019 have been distributed through Place du Bordeaux and the 2019 has all 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 tab: Attachment you will find a nice video and various photos of the versions of this iconic Chinese wine.