Ao Yun Shangri-La 2013

Professional Ratings

• 94 Decanter
  A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc, this is a bold, dramatic and compelling debut wine from winemaker Maxence Dulou. Particularly impressive is the strong sense and imprint of place which is partially revealed by its saturated colour, exquisite ripeness, silky, grainy tannins and exciting freshness. The palate also provides sweet black and red cherry fruit overlaid with cool graphite, camphor as well as notes of juniper, pepper and cumin. Most surprising of all is the 15.1% alcohol which is both balanced and well hidden in the texture and freshness. It’s difficult to predict how long the wine will age and develop. But all the elements are there for a long and happy life.
• 93 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
  The 2013 Ao Yun Red wine from the Yunnan Province—the first ultra-premium Chinese wine I have tasted—is quite amazing. What were my expectations? Whenever I taste wines from regions which I have never experienced before, I approach the moment with caution. This wine came to the marketplace with lots of excitement, but I did not want the publicity to cloud my judgement. This wine shows an alluring fragrance of red currants and flowers. On the palate, it brings elegance and pleasing sweet tannins to the fore. The wine's flavors, reminiscent of the Right Bank of Bordeaux or perhaps Sonoma Mountain in California, stay in the red fruit, savory spice, and forest floor areas of the flavor wheel. This Yunnan Province red is indeed a remarkable first attempt. Ao Yung means “flying above the clouds” and refers to the clouds that cap the summits of the Himalayan mountains. This wine is just beginning to open up, and will require a few years of bottle age before it reveals its true essence. It marks the beginning of what could become a wine growing region of significant international importance. (Tasted: August 24, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
• 93 James Suckling
  Aromas of blackberry, blueberry and olives. Hints of bark and mushroom. Currants. Full body, ultra-fine tannins and a beautiful finish. A lovely dark fruit undertone. Minerally and very fine. Made of cabernet sauvignon with a touch of cabernet franc. This is 28 hectares in total. The vines have 10 years. It’s all handmade. Beautiful structure and depth. This is a wine that really impresses with all the finesse and quality of tannins. Goes on for minutes. Better in 2020 but so fine now.
• 91 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

  This is Ao Yun’s inaugural vintage and is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. The 2013 Ao Yun has a deep garnet appearance, with only a slightly orange rim now emerging. On the nose, there is abundant toasted new oak with clove, smoke and vanilla-scented woody notes marrying with the marked herbaceous character of both Cabernet-family grapes. Expect blackcurrant leaf, grass and green bell pepper. The 2013 vintage has shown quite differently in bottle: It has consistently shown distinct pyrazine notes and plenty of new oak, but some bottles show a deeper core of cassis and bramble fruit than others. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied with a ripe coating and crunchy tannins, lifting acidity and generous alcohol—the 15% alcohol not integrating as well compared with other Ao Yun vintages such as 2015—shot through with marked herbaceous character, woody notes and a core of black fruit.