敖云香格里拉 Ao Yun Shangri-La 2016

"... velvety & fruity, elegant, complex ... "

Ao Yun is an ambitious project by LVMH to create a unique, world-class wine estate in an ideal but new environment.  The famed Australian winemaker, Dr. Tony Jordan, was commissioned to find such a place.  He found his way to the foothills of the Himalayas in Yunnan, near the legendary and remote villages of Shangri-La.  There he found not only conditions that reminded him of Bordeaux but also the remnants of a wholly forgotten series of vineyards planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc which had been introduced by French missionaries in the 1800s.  The weather station he implemented locally in 2010 has provided 12 years of weather data to show the Shangri-La climate is a hybrid one between Bordeaux and Napa in term of temperature/sun/rain depending on season.

Located at an altitude between 6890 and 8530 feet (2100 to 2600 meters, 500 meters of variation), Ao Yun's vineyards are spread out on both banks of the Mekong River.  The mountainous region is spectacular, with unique vineyards from the valley floor to mountain high.  Ao Yun leases 314 blocks, with 727 tiny sub-parcels identified, totaling 28 ha from 120 local families in 4 villages of the Upper Mekong Valley. There are different soil types and climates in each village due to different altitudes, sun exposure, wind exposure, landslide and river deposits.  With such variety of soil and finely identified parcels, Ao Yun takes the Burgundy Approach to cultivate each parcel, as shown here in a map from Adong, one of the four villages producing grapes for Ao Yun:

After harvesting and micro-vinification, the winemaker conducts blind tastings from each parcel/terroir, before using the Bordeaux art of blending to create the Ao Yun Grand Cru.  In the true Bordeaux fashion, the blending is different from year to year.

In certain years, the wine from each individual village is bottled under its own name: Shuori （说日）, Adong（阿东）, Sinong（斯农）, Xidang（西当）.

Ao Yun（敖云）means “above the clouds.”  From the video presented by the estate, one can almost tell there is something weightless and ethereal about the place and the wine it produces.

"This is a new blend for Ao Yun, with the 2016 vintage composed of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 4% Syrah and 2% Petit Verdot. It is deep ruby in color and has lifted herbaceous bramble and red and black plum fruit with subtle toasted new oak notes. There is significant concentration with robust alcohol but lifting acidity and ripe, fine-grained tannins. Very juicy, vinous and young! The 2016 Ao Yun doesn’t have the immediate generosity of the 2015 vintage and will undoubtedly need time to develop in bottle. It will be more approachable from 2021. That said, if decanted in advance, it can already give pleasure. Notably, this was the first vintage winemaker Maxence Dulou decided to blend at sea-level, given that few consumers of Ao Yun will appreciate the wine at 2,600 meters in altitude. It will be fascinating to see how the 2016 evolves alongside the more voluptuous 2015 vintage." - Edward Ragg, The Wine Advocate (12/10/2020), RatingS: 93, Drink: 2021-2026

"Grilled cedar, laced with fennel and aniseed, chewy tannins, tight structure, touches of raspberry leaf alongside savoury cassis and blueberry fruits, Cabernet Sauvignon dominant in its fruit expression. Tasted again after 24 hours of opening, and it remained closed up, suggesting it will benefit from another three or four years in bottle. Shows the ageing capacity of Ao Yun, and is an excellent quality wine from a late harvest, low yield (21hl/h) vintage. This was the first vintage with a touch of Syrah and Petit Verdot, and lower new oak down to 32% (with malolactic in terracotta pots). This was also the first vintage where the blend was done at sea level in Hong Kong rather than up at altitude in Shangri-La, to avoid any issues with flavour perception." - Jane Anson (2/26/2022) Ratings: 93, DRINK: 2023-2036

The team in charge of Ao Yun is led by French winemaker, Maxence Dulou.  They practice a cousu main (tailor-made) vineyard approach to express the terroir.  A few noticeable points:

1. Shoot accuracy for customized fruit thinning: instead of aiming for a yield target per hectare (common practice), MH Shangri-La has optimized quality down to a single shoot.  Based on 35 terroirs and 5 vine types, the team only keeps 100 to 200g of grapes per shoot.
2. An accurate weather forecasting system: years of experimentation and newly adopted AI system to facilitate better decision making based on accurate weather forecast
3. Pure soils and fruit: The vineyards adopted European organic farming standards since 2013.  To harvest the purest expression of terroir, the team included an unheard-of technique of rinsing the grapes twice while still hanging on the vine prior to harvest. This method ensures that any residue, even organic, is removed from grape skins.