Wine of the Day • 9 November 2020

Domaine du 1er Juin Riesling 2017

The vineyard was planted in 2008 from vines cloned from French clones first planted in the 1970s and 1980s in Helan Mountain Winery (belonging to Pernod Ricard) which had imported the cuttings from France. Because of the poor soil, grapes only appeared in 2015. Domaine du 1er Juin did not pick them. The following year – 2016 – the grapes were harvested and fermented. The domaine did not consider the wine up to their standard and the bottles were not offered for sale. This 2017 is, therefore, their first commercial vintage. When I last tasted this in June 2019,  it was more citrus zesty and Granny Smith appley. The evolution is quite advanced as petrol/kerosene notes are to the fore, but also orange blossom. The minerality is still there but broader than a year ago. The fruit is still as intense and persistent, including a honey-ish aspect. To be sure, this is one of China’s finest Riesling. Domaine du 1er Juin belongs to the family of LU Mengxi and is named for her first son who was born on that date. Her husband is MEI Ningbo, arguably China’s leading Burgundy specialist who works closely with Jaspar Morris MW. Both hold Master’s degrees in International Wine & Spirits from the Burgundy School of Business in Dijon.

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