Shangri La, Yunnan (China)

750ml

Cabernet Sauvignon | Cabernet Franc | Syrah | Petit Verdot

97 JA | 96 D | 96 RP

Moet Hennessy’s Ao Yun, which is a blend of some of the greatest terroirs near the fabled city of Shangri-La in Yunnan province, in southwestern China. Nothing can stop the Ao Yun team from making great wines at the most extreme altitudes.

“The wine has a very deep purple appearance and sports a beautifully complex nose of lifted, perfumed dark fruit—cassis, bramble, black cherry, black plum, blueberry, mulberry—with herbaceous notes of mint, green bell pepper and sage, these primary elements marrying beautifully with some subtle, new oak notes of clove, toast, smoke and vanilla. Like the Village Cru red wines, this was matured for 12 months in 30% new, small-format French oak with 30% in older wood and the remainder in Yunnanese stoneware jars. On the palate, this is very full-bodied with super-ripe coating and fine-grained tannins with vibrant acidity—this comes naturally at 3.35 pH—and well-integrated 13.5% alcohol, providing the platform for the concentrated dark fruit and sweet and savory pyrazine and new oak notes. While this wine does not have the immediate "generosity" or sumptuousness of the 2019 vintage, it is undeniably elegant, polished and powerful in its own vintage expression. With its very long length, the 2020 Ao Yun has a complex, layered finish that is abundantly youthful. While it is approachable now, it will show better going forward and will comfortably age for at least 15 years.”