Wine Advocate 94
 
Winemaker Mu Chao has produced this compelling 2021 red blend from an assemblage of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot from some undisclosed but unsurprisingly high-elevation sites in Yunnan’s Diqing. The 2021 Red has a relatively deep ruby appearance and sports a complex, lifted and perfumed nose of fragrant blackcurrant, blackberry, mulberry and red plum fruit with delicate savory and sweet pyrazine (a touch of sage and mint) and some neatly integrated new oak notes of toast, clove and smoke (the 2021 vintage spent 18 months in 228-liter, barrels, of which 40% were new). On the palate, this is full-bodied with ripe, fine-grained but also rounded tannins, some sprightly acidity and well-integrated 14% alcohol, and the structure meshes well with the depth of flavor concentration. There is also a stylistic point of divergence here from the majority of Cabernet blends produced in Yunnan in that the fruit is not overripe (or is, at least, picked a bit earlier) and there's also a wild yeast element, which has added a graphite-like, additional savory aspect. With its long length, this is a subtle wine with real poise and elegance on the finish! It's already approachable, but it will improve in bottle over the next 5-7 years, at least.