A Future Iconic Wine From Shangri-La

Here's the latest release from LVMH, the holding company that brings us such amazing wines like Château d'Yquem and Château Cheval Blanc: Ao Yun, a wine produced at the foothills of the Himalayas by the team from Moët Hennessy (the MH in LVMH).

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.

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 wine has an aging potential of 30 years.  It is made for both oenophiles and collectors.  Available in both OWCx1 and OWCx6.