CHN Celebre Chardonnay 2022 750ml

2018 is the first vintage emanating from the Dan Sheng Di project owned by the Zhan brothers (of tea industry and Chao Zhou fame) and overseen by Patrick Valette, formerly of Chateau Pavie and the mastermind behind Chile’s VIK. Valette was also born in Chile and has experience making Cabernet all over the globe. Valette is joined by winemaker Vianney Jacqmin, who lives in Yunnan. I visited Bucun village in 2023 and was struck by its proximity to Sinong (where Ao Yun sources some of its fruit). However, it’s important to understand that despite being at a similar altitude to Sinong (around 2,200 meters to Sinong’s 2,300), Bucun is on the other side of the river and a bit further downstream, and, as in other Shangri-La villages, Bucun’s village sites are all effectively micro-terroirs (note that there are 244 plots here spread over some 19.3 hectares). Stylistically, Bucun has a more “sweet fruit character” that is reminiscent of Xidang (another village from which Ao Yun sources fruit and has made a single-village wine). This contrasts with Dan Sheng Di’s 2018 Sulu, which is much more savory (see my separate review of that wine).

Seafood, Shellfish, Crab and Lobster