Ao Yun : Ao Yun 2021

Characteristics and tasting advice for Ao Yun 2021

Tasting

Color
Intense color with ruby reflections.

Nose
The bouquet opens with wild fruits mixed with fresh vegetal touches, before revealing more complex aromas of faded rose, blood orange, blond tobacco and sweet spices, all enhanced by a note of incense.

Palate

In the mouth, the balance is remarkable: the substance, both dense and airy, is animated by a tonic acidity and extends on a persistent saline finish. The tannins, silky and ripe, make this wine already accessible, while promising a beautiful aging potential.

Service and aging

For optimal tasting, it is recommended to taste this wine at 16°C after a pre-decanting of one hour. This wine can wait in cellars until around 2051.

A great Chinese red wine, ample and of rare complexity

The property

LVMH, a famous group specialized in luxury, embarks on a new adventure in China, more precisely near the legendary city of Shangri-La, on the foothills of the Himalayas. Ao Yun, whose name means "who flies above the clouds", was born in 2013. Made from several vineyards located at altitudes ranging between 2,200 and 2,600 meters, this wine produced in very limited quantities paves the way for high-end Chinese wines.

The vineyard

Ao Yun 2021 comes from 773 small plots spread over a total area of 31 hectares rented to 131 families within 4 villages of the Upper Mekong: Xidang, Sinong, Shuori and Adong. Due to the altitude between 2100 and 2600 meters, the exposure of the plots and the great diversity of soil typology, each village offers asperities that enrich this Chinese wine.

The vintage

The first half of the year was marked by the longest period of drought ever observed. The arrival of summer was accompanied by salvific rains, while a drier and warmer autumn than normal helped to compensate for the challenges related to the coolness of the climate. In the end, 51% of the harvest was selected for this Ao Yun 2021.

Vinification and aging

Cultivated according to the principles of regenerative and organic agriculture, the vineyard is subject to entirely manual work, of extreme precision, much more demanding than traditional practices. In 2021, exceptional night irrigations and pruning adapted to the terroir and the season were implemented.

Each plot was vinified separately with gentle extraction. The wines, first tasted at sea level, are then blended in the cellar, located at 2,600 m altitude, in an oxygen-poor environment. That year, manual pump-overs, more frequent but lighter, favored a delicate infusion.
The aging was divided between stoneware jars and glass tanks (60%) and barrels (40%) for 12 months, followed by 8 months in tank before bottling.

Blend

Cabernet Sauvignon (57%)
Cabernet Franc (19%)
Merlot (12%)
Syrah (6%)
Petit Verdot (6%).