Tasted and reviewed last June 2019, this first vintage of Ningxia’s Domaine du 1er Juin Merlot has taken on a new layer of complexity. It has also become considerably evolved in nine short months. Proprietor LU Mengxi holds a Master’s degree in International Wine & Spirits from the Burgundy School of Business in Dijon. Fluent in French and English, she worked for some time as the China representative of the California Wine Institute based in Shanghai where she continues to live. Domaine du 1er Juin is named for her first son who was born on that date. Her husband is MEI Ningbo, a Burgundy specialist (and who also holds a Master’s degree from the same school). Presently finishing a book on Burgundy, Mei is also a member of the Chinese Circle, a group of journalist and sommelier friends who have been visiting Bordeaux since 2018 to taste the futures or en primeurs. Last June’s smoky blueberry fruit has become very blackcurranty and liquorice. The ripe, rich tannins are even smoother now. Medium-plus-ish bodied. Decant 20 to 30 minutes. Drinking deliciously. And to 2025. Possibly longer. The vines were planted in 2007 and 2008. Domaine du 1er Juin waited eight years before making their first Merlot vintage.
Proprietor LU Mengxi