“We are discovering a new terroir,” says Maxence Dulou. As the winemaker and estate director at Ao Yun Estate in Yunnan province, Dulou is keenly aware that he is on new frontiers. “No two years are the same, and we are learning a little bit more every season.”
Translating to “flying above the clouds,” the name Ao Yun is a nod to the winery’s position in the remote spell-binding Mekong valley. The closest city, Shangri-La, is four hours away. The UNESCO-protected region is fed by three parallel rivers, running through steep gorges and surrounded by glaciated peaks more than 6000m high.
The vineyards sit in the villages of Adong, Shuori, Sinong and Zidang, perched up at altitudes of 2200m to 2600m above sea level. Summers are dry as the mountains protect the region from rains, and winters are moderate enough to obviate the unusual tradition of burying vines, as practised in northern China.
“It took us a few years to understand that this is a cool climate site. Cooler than Bordeaux because of the shade of the mountain,”
