Grape expectations

New bubbles, Napa gems, China’s luxury red and festive cheer make James Suckling’s monthly round-up of industry news

china’s Best

Moët Hennessy chose Vinexpo in May for the Asia launch of its first Chinese wine, Ao Yun, and the tiny first bottling kept tasters returning for more. “It was interesting to have so many visitors try the wine and come back with colleagues to taste it again,” said Maxence Dulou, the French winemaker of the Ao Yun winery, which is located in the northwestern part of Yunnan Province near the city of Shangri-la, named after the utopia of the novel Lost Horizon. The grapes come from 27 hectares of vineyards set between 2,200 and 2,600 metres in the remote mountains. About 3,000 bottles of the first vintage, 2013, were produced and the price is about 300 euros per bottle. The young wine shows wonderful aromas of blackberry, blueberry and olives with hints of bark. It’s full and very silky with firm and polished tannins. This is clearly the best wine ever made in China. Can’t wait for future vintages. 93 points