Ao Yun 2019

Ao Yun 2019 is an extraordinary, highly refined Himalayan icon from LVMH's pioneering estate, grown at staggering altitudes of 2,200 to 2,600 meters in Yunnan, China. Widely praised by top critics as the property's finest and most complete vintage to date, the 2019 growing season saw record-low yields and an incredibly long 72-day harvest. Notably, winemaker Maxence Dulou completely excluded adolescent Merlot from the blend, opting instead to introduce Syrah to amplify mid-palate energy and floral lift. In the glass, it features an intense dark purple color. The nose is highly complex, weaving blackcurrants, damsons, and smoke with wild mountain herbs, graphite, and dried rose petals. On the palate, it delivers beautiful Cabernet verticality, combining a vibrant line of high-altitude acidity with seamlessly integrated, silky tannins that drive into a remarkably long, mineral finish.

Food Pairing: Five-spice duck breast, slow-cooked venison loin, prime dry-aged ribeye steak, or aged Comté cheese.

98 Points -James Suckling

Very scented, complex and layered with a classy nose full of ripe currants, smoke and sweet tobacco leaves. Graphite, charcoal, exotic herbs and cigar box. A hint of black truffle and tapenade, too. Full body with fine, silky tannins that highlight the juicy aspect of this wine. Dusty tannins gradually build up on the palate in a crescendo, following through to a juicy, precise and lengthy finish. Super-polished and refined. There is still cabernet verticality on the palate. The finest Ao Yun so far? It has a finish that lasts almost two minutes. 67% cabernet sauvignon, 17% cabernet franc, 10% syrah and 6% petit verdot. This is a blend of 23% of Xidang village, 21% Sinong, 32% Shuori and 24% Adong. Already drinkable now, but should hold until 2026.

96 Points - Robert Parker The Wine Advocate

This is the best vintage of Ao Yun to date and also the highest-scoring Chinese wine I have ever reviewed. It, therefore, requires a more detailed account to understand why. The 2019 Ao Yun is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, 10% Syrah and 6% Petit Verdot (this latter emanating from the village of Sinong). Notably, Merlot did not make the grade in 2019, which was less to do with vintage but, according to winemaker Maxence Dulou, more a function of Merlot vines at an adolescent stage of development (at five to six years of age, Dulou feels Merlot doesn’t produce the most interesting fruit compared with younger or older vines). The relatively cooler and wetter winter prior to 2019 gave the vines decent reserves, but the drier and warmer than expected spring meant some irrigation was required around budburst and flowering. Overall, across Ao Yun’s different villages sites—Xidang, Sinong, Shuori and Adong—2019 witnessed a warm, healthy growing season and not too warm autumn with yields at their lowest to date (around 16 hectoliters per hectare rather than the average of 20-22 hectoliters per hectare). The long harvest commenced in Xidang on September 9th and finished in Adong on November 21st. Of the varieties above, the proportion of fruit was drawn from the villages in order of elevation as follows: 23% from Xidang, 21% from Sinong, 32% from Shuori and 24% from Adong. In the harvest as a whole, only 53% went into Ao Yun’s top wine, with tiny percentages being used for the Villlage Cru reds (6% each) and 2% for the 2019 Chardonnay. Thus 33% of the harvest was not used for Ao Yun at all.