Ao Yun 2020 (JS99)

Country:               China
Region:                 Yunnan Rating:                   RP96, JS99
Grape Variety:   60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, 6% Syrah, 6% Petit Verdot
Type of Wine:     Red Wine
Bottle Size:          750ml

By Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 96
The 2020 Ao Yun is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, 6% Syrah and 6% Petit Verdot, with the fruit being sourced from Ao Yun’s four villages in order of rising altitude and percentage terms as follows: 10% from Xidang, 18% from Sinong, 38% from Shuori and 34% from Adong. 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.

James Suckling 99
Super classy, fragrant nose that immediately brings demureness with its currants, graphite, paprika, cigar box, tobacco leaves and a touch of cocoa powder. This is a juicier expression of Ao Yun on the palate, with lots of brightness and probably a little less weight and opulence than 2019, but certainly more agility, firmness, tension and freshness. Refined, layered, long and silky, but the tannins are fresh and present. Extremely long and nervy. The best Ao Yun to date that zeroes in on balance. 60% cabernet sauvignon, 19% cabernet franc, 10% merlot, 6% syrah and 5% petit verdot. 30% new barrels, 30% old barrels and 40% stoneware jars from Sichuan. Drink from 2025, and the wine should age beautifully for the next two decades, if not longer.