Purple Air Cabernet Sauvignon, Château Changyu Moser XV 2019 75cl
"Purple Air Comes From the East" is the flagship of Chateau Changyu Moser XV, and one of the most serious wines to come out of China. It is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Ningxia, aged two full years in new French barriques, with only 6,300 bottles made — this is a statement bottle in every sense.
Ningxia sits on the arid, high-altitude plain below the Helan Mountains in north-central China — long sunlight hours, cool nights, poor soils. The estate is a joint venture between Changyu, China's oldest winery, and Lenz Moser, an Austrian winemaker of the fifteenth generation. Their ambition was to prove Ningxia could make a Cabernet to sit at any fine-wine table, and this is where they aimed highest.
The nose is deep and layered: roasted coffee bean, cedar and star anise over blackberry, dark plum and prune. The palate is concentrated and spicy — woody dark berries, cassis and liquorice — framed by robust, grippy tannins and enough acidity to keep it fresh. The finish runs long, with prune and a curious note of Pu'er tea. It is youthful but already giving.
At £159.99 this is collector territory, and its value lies partly in what it represents — a genuinely fine wine from an emerging region, made in tiny quantities. It will drink well over the next decade and beyond. One for the curious connoisseur.
How to Serve
Serve at 16–18°C in a large Bordeaux glass. Decant for at least an hour, ideally two, to let the tannins unwind.
Where to Drink It
Scott's in Mayfair for the occasion it deserves. Wiltons on Jermyn Street. The Connaught for a considered evening.
Food Pairings
A dry-aged rib of beef is the obvious partner for tannins this firm. Peking duck, fittingly, is a superb match too.
