MATTHEW JUKES | Wednesday Wines – Episode 249 – Chinese New Year
As luck would have it, today is Chinese New Year – The Year of the Snake. Snakes are renowned for their ability to shed their skin, symbolising letting go of the old and embracing the new. So, my theme for today’s wines was inevitable! I was delighted to taste these wines with Lenz Moser late last year. I understand from the PR agency in charge of this estate that Selfridges now stock these new vintages. However, I have been monitoring the website for the last month, and the vintages and pricing I have been given do not show up on the Selfridges website, so I can only apologise for this. In addition, no stockists are offered for the final wine. I appreciate it is frustrating reading about wine and being unable to purchase it, but I am confident these vintages will turn up in the UK before too long. I hope you manage to track these wines down because they are all worth a look.
Whites
2023 Changyu Moser XV, Helan Mountain Range, Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc de Noir, China (RRP £22.50, www.selfridges.com).
Made from Cabernet Sauvignon, this is a very pale rosé as opposed to a genuine ‘white wine from black grapes’, and it appears to cover both styles of wine with genuine skill. Made from tiny Cabernet berries, it is pristinely clean, bright and smooth, and even though it carries a 14.5% alcohol tag, you cannot feel any heat or cumbersome weight. There is a faint sense of elderflower and blackcurrant leaf on the nose and palate, but otherwise, this is a slippery, buoyant wine with no discernible oak imprint and a sleek chassis that glides gracefully over the palate. Unlike other wines of its shape and size, there is a fair degree of persistence here, so while it looks innocent and demure in the glass, there is an engine here that will power this wine through challenging dishes, and the flavour of this month is, of course, a Chinese banquet! I have no doubt this is the finest vintage to date, and this finely judged and reasonably priced wine is worthy of a spot on any dining room table, not least because it delivers a unique flavour and does so with consummate ease.
2023 Changyu Moser XV, Moser Family, Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc de Noir, China (RRP £45.90, www.selfridges.com).
This wine takes the model of the wine above and augments its intensity and grandeur by adding one year spent in French oak barrels. Returning to my comment about the ‘engine’ which powers these unusual ‘white’ wines, there is added gravitas and density here, but the fruit absorbs the oak notes beautifully, so while this is a richer and lustier wine, it delivers its message with elegance and control. Once again, this is a 14.5% alcohol number, and the flavour, ripeness and silkiness are that of a full-bodied white wine. Lenz likes to show it alongside a Californian Chardonnay, which indicates his intentions with this wine! While it is not as creamy nor dense as a rich Chardonnay, there is considerable texture here and the fruit notes, while creamy and buoyant, are marked with discreet rose-petal notes, hinting at its varietal origins. I cannot imagine that anyone would be able to taste this wine blind because it triggers many familiar characteristics at once, but I am confident that, given time, this pioneering wine will find familiarity and a loyal following among its fans, and it deserves to.
Reds
2023 Changyu Moser XV, Helan Mountain Range, Cabernet Sauvignon, China (RRP £22.50, www.selfridges.com).
Continuing the 100% Cabernet theme, the three red wines are light, medium and heavy in terms of density and grandeur, and while this ‘bottom rung’ offering has no oak interference, I happen to like it every bit as much as the loftier wines! There is a mass of deep, dark fruit, which is much more velvety than I could have imagined for a wine of this price. It is not too extracted, minty, or structured, and I love the Cabernet skin / cassis-soaked fruit notes coupled with the freshness of these grapes. With 1000m of altitude, the climate is hot in the summer, crisp in the spring and autumn and positively freezing in the winter. Somehow, this brightness and freshness are central to the green hints, which are peppery and invigorating but more in a Cabernet Franc manner than a Syrah-style. Once again, it makes this wine unique.
2022 Changyu Moser XV, Moser Family, Cabernet Sauvignon, China (RRP £45.90, www.selfridges.com).
The use of second-fill oak with this wine brings more depth, dryness and grip, and the introduction of crisp tannins serves to bring more gravitas and length to the overall experience. Spicier, more upright and commanding, this is a ‘main course’ interpretation of the Moser Cabernet model, and it looks youthful, enticing and distinctly age-worthy. There is no doubt that this wine is interpreting the classical Bordeaux model, and yet, because of its fruit source, it will always taste like a cousin instead of a sibling. I am drawn to the intrinsic freshness of the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes at this extensive property, and this theme is consistent through the white and red wines. It is beguiling, resonant and, as I have mentioned a couple of times, unique. This is definitely a wine to throw into the mix when organising a global Cabernet celebration. Despite its youth, it will hold its head high, and there is more to come when it mellows with time.
2019 Purple Air Comes From The East, Changyu Longyu Estate, Ningxia, China (RRP £180.00).
While I find the prices of wines of this ilk somewhat non-sensical, if you have deep pockets and fancy rolling the dice, this wine is great fun! The ancient expression, ‘good luck comes from the East’, is adapted here, and perhaps it goes without saying, but this is the grandest Chinese wine I have tasted (albeit out of my price range)! The first vintage was the 2016, and it found a few homes in the UK – I have yet to hear any feedback, but I imagine it turned heads. This 2019 is the second vintage; the next release will be 2021. Bright, densely fruited, plush and layered, this is a super-pure Cabernet, and it parades fine-grained tannins, haunting mintiness (the signature) and teasing freshness among the tannic tail. Young and dynamic, it will be fascinating to see how this wine matures. I imagine it will follow a Super-Tuscan template instead of a Bordeaux evolution style. The main test will come in five years, when its fate will be determined. I look forward to this moment. The smart money (and a lot of it) says it will impress all-comers. I am not going to bet against this!
