Ao Yun 2020
Non-Member Price:
$585.10 CADMember Price: $555.85
(SAVE 5%)
96 points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, January 2024
The 2020 Ao Yun is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, 6% Syrah and 6% Petit Verdot, with the fruit being sourced from Ao Yun’s four villages in order of rising altitude and percentage terms as follows: 10% from Xidang, 18% from Sinong, 38% from Shuori and 34% from Adong. The wine has a very deep purple appearance and sports a beautifully complex nose of lifted, perfumed dark fruit—cassis, bramble, black cherry, black plum, blueberry, mulberry—with herbaceous notes of mint, green bell pepper and sage, these primary elements marrying beautifully with some subtle, new oak notes of clove, toast, smoke and vanilla. Like the Village Cru red wines, this was matured for 12 months in 30% new, small-format French oak with 30% in older wood and the remainder in Yunnanese stoneware jars. On the palate, this is very full-bodied with super-ripe coating and fine-grained tannins with vibrant acidity—this comes naturally at 3.35 pH—and well-integrated 13.5% alcohol, providing the platform for the concentrated dark fruit and sweet and savory pyrazine and new oak notes. While this wine does not have the immediate "generosity" or sumptuousness of the 2019 vintage, it is undeniably elegant, polished and powerful in its own vintage expression. With its very long length, the 2020 Ao Yun has a complex, layered finish that is abundantly youthful. While it is approachable now, it will show better going forward and will comfortably age for at least 15 years. -Edward Ragg
From cellar-to-cellar, or cellar to shelf, we maintain the highest standards, thanks to close relationships with the finest producers of wine across the globe, ensuring authenticity.
We maintain strict, direct, temperature- controlled delivery from the cellar to the customer, guaranteeing the integrity of each vintage’s character and flavor profile.
Our curated collection prioritizes provenance and secure wine handling from start to finish. We deeply understand and appreciate the craft, passion and time that is dedicated to produce each bottle, and we honor it by respecting the factors that influence a wine’s ideal maturation. When you purchase a bottle from Wines of Kings, we guarantee the following:
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A UNIQUE APPROACH
Wines of Kings is a US-registered wine importer and online wine store, offering a curated selection of high-end European wines. We are devoted to the direct sourcing, handling, importing, sale, and delivery of some of the most sought-after and beloved wines in the world - selected carefully for their quality, vintage and terroir.
From cellar-to-cellar, or cellar to shelf, we maintain the highest standards, thanks to close relationships with the finest producers of wine across the globe, ensuring authenticity.
We maintain strict, direct, temperature- controlled delivery from the cellar to the customer, guaranteeing the integrity of each vintage’s character and flavor profile.
OUR STORY
FOUNDERS AND BACKGROUND
Founders Marco Prete and Cristina Fragni have spent a lifetime in close contact with the top European winemakers and cellar masters, and have spent decades on their shared passion for learning, tasting, and even assisting in the production of fine wines.
After relocating to NYC in 2013, they found that many of their favorite vintages were not available in the US. Inspired by a lack of available inventory on the usual channels, they decided that it was essential to them personally and professionally to create a bespoke, world-class collection of fine wines available for US import.
The Wines of Kings collection of exquisite wines reflects the founders’ obsession with premium wines that are made authentically.