2024 Clos Mao 理光 "Light" Shangri-La Chardonnay

This is an ultra-exclusive, micro-boutique release from high-altitude Yunnan: the Clos Mao 理光 ("Light") 2024. Sealed with a distinctive yellow wax capsule. Sourced from 15–21-year-old vines planted in the extreme high-elevation terroirs of Lijiang and Shangri-La, this wine is vinified with minimal intervention, fermented and aged for 14 months in French oak barrels, and bottled without fining or filtration. True to its name, "理光" ("Light") offers a striking balance of pure, weightless elegance and intense mineral tension. The nose opens with a fragrant bouquet of crisp white peach, lemon blossom, and grapefruit zest, layered with fine matchstick reduction, crushed stone, and subtle toasted brioche. On the palate, it is vibrant and precise, delivering a crystalline line of natural mountain acidity that cuts through a silken core of stone fruit, finishing long, dry, and distinctly saline.

Highlights

• Vintage: 2024

• Region/Appellation: Shangri-La, Yunnan, China

• Producer: Clos Mao (Cao MÂO)

• Grape: 100% Chardonnay

• Style: High-Altitude, Unfined & Unfiltered, Micro-Production Artisanal White Burgundy-Style Chardonnay

• Perfect for (food pairing): Butter-poached rock lobster or marron tails, pan-seared sea scallops with lemon butter, steam-cooked coral trout with ginger and scallions, or classic Dover sole meunière. Its vibrant high-altitude acidity, pure fruit core, and saline mineral edge also make it an extraordinary pairing for a premium service of sturgeon caviar served on warm blinis, fresh oysters, delicate sashimi, or a plate of well-matured hard cheeses like an aged Comté or Beaufort.