An offering for a debut vintage of a wine from Tibet, only $250ish per bottle. (owc’s available for those who take a six pack)
Is this for real? Are these vanity projects from Yao Ming or something? Who buys this stuff?
I can’t even figure out who buys all the $100 Argentinean/Chilean stuff that various first growths get involved with.
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_Shangri-La.
Now it may initially seem unlikely and far-fetched for wine grapes to grow in the northwestern part of Yunnan province next to Tibet, but what most of us do not know is that vineyards had been planted here for over a 100 years. In the 19th century, Jesuit missionaries planted vines and established villages on either side of the Mekong River around the same time Napa Valley was being cultivated. Nestled within the Himalayas four hours north of Shangri-La, these villages seem to have remained untouched, shielded from everything that has happened in the world until now. In 2009, four high-altitude vineyards were identified and selected for their potential in producing world-class Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
AY-river
There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says, “A gem cannot be polished without friction.” In the same way, Ao Yun had to overcome many challenges leading up to its debut vintage. Roads had to be built in order access the remote villages and frequent power outages required the sorting and de-stemming to be done by hand. In addition, the steep vineyards are farmed organically, tended by yaks instead of tractors. Despite the challenges, the 2013 Ao Yun lives up to its name Flying Above The Clouds and has truly become a “polished gem.”
Not surprisingly, Ao Yun’s debut is making waves across the wine world. Many have described it as having the fruit of Joseph Phelps Insignia, the power of Vega Sicilia, and the structure of Cos d’Estournel.
Today we are thrilled to bring you the debut vintage the next great wine, 2013 Ao Yun Cabernet, Shangri-La. Quantity is very limited and based on the anticipation and hype around this wine, we expect it to sell out quickly.
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FWIW, it is a very good wine that would do quite well in blind tastings against some very high priced juice. I have a tasting note of it on my site. LVMH, who owns Cheval Blanc, Yquem, Dom, Krug and other high-end wines owns the project, and they have spent bank on developing the wine and vineyards. Worth the coin, it is a matter of opinion.
Just because it is from a region that has not produced good, or expensive until recently, is no reason to knock it until you’ve tried it. I think you will be seeing other, high end wines from China over the decade. Lastly, most of the 200 case production is for export, so while difficult to find, it will be around.
That seems odd. You’d think they’d be able to command the best price within China – that natives would be keen to buy a home-grown luxury bottling. Or export to HK?
I see the Bloomberg article says 2,000 cases, But even that wouldn’t justify LVMH’s investment or attention. I assume the plan to ramp up production.
According to the article: “Moët Hennessy has earmarked 500 cases for the U.S.,” and will be sold through Sherry-Lehmann and three shops in Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
LVMH is in the brand business, and the points business, when it comes to wines, since its points that establish luxury pricing. So McCoy’s description isn’t too surprising – it sounds like it’s made for points:
The blend of 90 percent cabernet sauvignon and 10 percent cabernet franc is ripely fruity, dark, and powerful, with a spicy tang, a hint of licorice, and a silky smooth texture. It’s nearly 15 percent alcohol and tastes unique, something like a combo of a Spanish Ribera del Duero and a Napa cult cab. There’s tons of tannin, so it should age for a long, long time. It was a pretty good accompaniment to braised short ribs, too.
It is a choice not to be seen as a Chinese brand for Chinese consumers. That would limit the wines growth potential. They prefer to market all over the world. The debut vintage is very small in production. I think it is about 2,500 bottles. Future vintages will probably have larger productions.
or search the page for LVMH and you’ll find the paragraph on the wine with most of the particulars needed. Although, the Bloomberg piece is much more detailed.
I can only imagine how much LVMH would be wishing to have had Robert Parker’s tasting note on it. 100 points and boom. Next vintage could sell for triple the price.
Yeah, that’s my guess as well – the wines Chinese with money buy are all the foreign (mostly French) big names. So the first step is to establish this as competing with those, and then market domestically as the Chinese wine that took on the world and won.
This is my favorite part of this fine new cuvee’s story:
A wonderful opportunity for unique barnyard aromas. I don’t really know what yaks smell like but I’m sure their ‘tending’ will make for very special wine indeed.