ZAXEE Chardonnay Sparkling 2024

Silky sweetness from the banks of the Lancang River — the purity and elegance of the snow mountains.

Region: Yunnan, China | Grape: 100% Chardonnay | Vintage: 2024 | Style: Dry Sparkling White (bottle-fermented, natural secondary fermentation, undisgorged, unfiltered, no fining agents) | ABV: 12.0% | Volume: 750ml

Terroir
Ruiwa Village, Deqin, Yunnan, at the foot of Meili Snow Mountain, elevation 2,750m. A hamlet of just 15 households with intense sunshine and UV, a 160-day frost-free period, large diurnal but small annual temperature swings, winter lows no colder than -12°C, average rainfall of 380-450mm, and an average annual temperature of 12°C. Poor, thin soils (leached alpine soil mixed with gravel, pebbles and sandstone), irrigated with snowmelt, entirely hand-farmed.

Winemaking
Hand-sorted bunch by bunch and berry by berry from walnut-tree-shaded plots. Destemmed and crushed for free-run juice only, cold natural settling, fermented off the skins. Blended with later-harvest Chardonnay juice and bottled to trigger a natural secondary fermentation — undisgorged, unfiltered, with no fining agents, reaching roughly 3 bars of natural pressure.

High Cru Tasting Notes
Made using the traditional method, though relatively short lees contact keeps its complexity modest. The aromatic profile leans natural-wine, with light yeast, lees and a touch of funk — primal in style but with no obvious flaws. Fresh citrus dominates: lemon, lime, grapefruit, echoed on the palate. High-acid and crisp, giving real tension and a clean frame. Bubbles are fine and soft with a light, gentle mousse. Light-to-medium bodied with a fairly simple flavour profile — autolytic complexity is limited (around one year on lees) — so overall this sits at 'Good' rather than 'Outstanding'. That said, as a welcome aperitif it does its job well: refreshing, appetite-opening, low-commitment, with acidity that wakes the palate and sets the table for the meal to come.