- Category
- Wine
- Style
- Dry red, Bordeaux-style blend
- Region
- Ningxia
- Winery
- Helan Qingxue
- Vintage
- 2009
Taste profile
Sweetness
DrySweetSweetness: 1 out of 5Acidity
LowHighAcidity: 3 out of 5Tannin
LowHighTannin: 3 out of 5Body
LightFullBody: 4 out of 5
Aromas
- blackcurrant
- blue fruit
- smoke
- toast
Overview
The most famous bottle in the history of Chinese wine. In 2011 this Cabernet-led blend from a small estate in Ningxia won the International Trophy for Bordeaux-style blends at the Decanter World Wine Awards in London, tasted blind against trophy winners from Saint-Émilion, Argentina, Australia, South Africa and California. It was the first time a Chinese wine had won at the competition's highest level, and it changed how the world looked at Ningxia.
Only about 20,000 bottles were made. At the time the wine was sold only in China; today the 2009 is a rare collector's wine.
Tasting
- Appearance
- Deep ruby
- Nose
- Smoky and toasty, with blue and black fruit.
- Palate
- Supple, graceful and ripe but not flashy, with firm, well-built tannins. Riper and richer than the earlier 2006 vintage.
- Finish
- Long, slightly austere at the end.
Production
- Type
- Dry red, Bordeaux-style blend
- Volume
- 750 ml
- Notes
- Grapes from the estate's own vineyards in the Yinchuan sub-region, where vines must be buried every winter. Winemaker: Zhang Jing; consultant: Professor Li Demei.
Serving
- Temperature
- 16–18 °C
- Glass
- Large Bordeaux glass
- Decanting
- Decant about an hour before serving
- Ageing potential
- At maturity: when retasted in 2021 it was holding well, with mellow tannins and no sign of tiring.
Pairing
- Lamb skewers
- Red-braised pork belly
- Peking duck
A structured Cabernet blend from Ningxia, a region as famous for its lamb as for its red wine. Grilled or roasted lamb is the natural match; rich, slow-cooked meats also work well.
Buy in Europe
- Awards & scores
- Decanter World Wine Awards – International Trophy, Red Bordeaux Varietal · 2011 · International Trophy
Sources
- Chinese wine wins top honour at Decanter World Wine Awards — Decanter, 2011
- Ten years on: Chinese wine's breakthrough moment at DWWA — Decanter, 2021
- Helan Qingxue, Jia Bei Lan Baby Footprints Grand Reserve 2009 Ningxia — JancisRobinson.com
- China producer profile: Helan Qingxue – Yinchuan, Ningxia — Decanter, 2024