Set a new benchmark for modern winemaking

When Prestige first spoke to winemaker Maxence Dulou in 2017, the second vintage of his Ao Yun wine had just hit the market, and with it, China’s growing reputation as a serious competitor in wine production.

In three years, the consumption of red wine in China has only grown (it now dominates the market in the Asia-Pacific region) and Ao Yun – known as the first Grand Cru of the Himalayas – consolidates its place among the best producers around the world with its fifth and last vintage: Ao Yun 2017.

We talk to the director of the domain and technique of Ao Yun, owned by Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), about life in Shangri-La, the supervision of the cellars of Ningxia and Xinjiang, ideal terroir and rewriting of the rules of modern winemaking.

You have worked for many estates in France, South Africa and Chile, and joined Château Quinault in 2005. How have your experiences shaped you as a winemaker?

I chose this profession because I love nature, growing plants, harvesting their fruits and eating them. The magic thing about wine is that you transform this fruit into something that can stand the test of time and give emotion. But also you can travel all over the world and meet different cultures and different natures. I had the chance to go to these different parts of the world for a few years and that gives me an open mind. I have learned that what is right to do in Franschhoek in South Africa will not work in St Emilion in France.

What drew you to China to explore its potential as a wine producer?

Since I was a student, I thought about the potential of China to make good wine. Because it is as big as a continent and little explored for wine making.

What was the hardest part of adjusting to life in Ao Yun? And which is the most rewarding?

Languages ​​that I have not learned enough make me powerless in certain situations and unable to deepen the local culture. The most rewarding is to participate in the birth of a Grand Cru of the Himalayas, to understand the singularity and the diversity of a terroir, to adapt to it, to reap the fruits and to transform them into Grand Vin. to single expression.

The Chinese have a long love affair with red Bordeaux wines. How do you think a local red can compete with that and is there pressure to make Bordeaux-style wines?

I think Chinese people are very open-minded and learn fast. At the start, they didn’t have much confidence in their terroir and in their ability to make great wines. Now they have learned and they are very supportive. They liked to taste some of their terroirs and not just the Bordeaux or Burgundy terroirs. We use a Bordeaux cultivar and a blending tool, but we have the greatest complexity and diversity of terroirs in the world. The result is a unique expression, a kind of hybrid between Napa wine and Bordeaux wine.

You mentioned the Hong Kong Judgment during lunch. Can you tell us a little more about this and how it reflects on China as a wine region?

The Judgment of Paris in 1976 was the world’s first blind tasting competition. In the 1970s, Californian winemakers strongly urged the industry to implement fair tastings that would give the best French and Californian wines an equal chance to shine. Thus, in May 1976, Steven Spurrier, a British wine merchant, organized a competition during which French judges carried out two blind tasting comparisons between the two wine regions.

A Californian wine ranked best in each category, which surprised us, as France is generally considered to be the world’s leading producer of wine. Since then, the “Judgment” of local wines by blind tastings has spread to different cities.

The Hong Kong judgment took place in July 2020 where Ao Yun 2015 was crowned the winner. It took place on July 2, 2020, pitting Chinese wines against French Bordeaux.

The event was hosted by Adam Janikowski, a Canadian wine lover living in Hong Kong (no connection to LVMH). James Suckling attended the event and subsequently wrote the article, “Another Great Show for the Best Chinese Wines”.

The wines were served in 6 pairs; each time with a different French and Chinese red. The 16 tasters voted for their favorite wine in each pair. China won 4 of 12 pairs and tied the other two. Bordeaux did not win any of the rounds. Ao Yun 2015 was the big winner. Ao Yun 2015 was tasted against Lafitte 2015 and 11 of the 16 tasters preferred Ao Yun.

This event showed the world that Chinese terroirs deserve to be tasted and that the quality of their wine has reached a high level. But the best is yet to come because we need more time to understand all these newly discovered terroirs.

You mentioned that after three years of data collection, you begin to understand the land of Ao Yun better. What makes the region ideal for wine growing and what challenges have you had to overcome?

Unique and very diverse terroirs. For example, we have two months of difference between the harvest of CS in the oldest soil and the most recent. Then these terroirs keep freshness but at the same time bring density to the wine which is a pledge of aging potential. Finally, the tannic texture is unique due to the longer ripening time.

Tell us a bit about the new Ao Yun 2017 vintage, what was this year like and how was the harvest?

A cool and humid vintage, but our end of the season allowed the grapes to ripen slowly but surely, so we harvested the last bunch on November 22, which is a record for a dry red wine in the northern hemisphere. Then we optimized many processes in the vineyard to give the right amount of water to the plant in order to harvest a better grape and to compensate for the difficult seasonal climate. We harvested ripe and dense grapes but with great Himalayan freshness. In the cellar, we reduce the extraction of tannins to refine the texture of the wine.

How does it compare to the 2016 vintage?

2016 is more open now, very elegant and easier to drink. 2017 is more powerful and closed at the same time. The texture is creamier and the length and aging potential have been the best for Ao Yun since our first vintage in 2016.

What awaits you at Ao Yun? Would we see a second wine in the near future?

A few years ago, we started experimenting and creating new wines that allow us to deepen the terroirs of Ao Yun and the history of each vintage. We hope to share this with you in the future.