Merlot -- Hebei Province, China

We're making our first trip to the People's Republic of China, specifically the Hebei Province, a northeastern and somewhat coastal province of which Beijing and Tianjin were seemingly carved, or gerrymandered, out. Yes, I know, there is no way that we could actually get into this region today, but at Grape of the Day, we spare no expense or measure to experience the most interesting grapes of the world.

More specifically, we've ventured into Huailai, northwest of Beijing, in a slightly mountainous area, in the shadows of the Great Wall and having natural irrigation from the Guanting Reservoir. Near the border with Mongolia, we're in monsoon country. Summers are quite warm often exceeding 30C/86F while winters give us some fairly deep freezes with temperatures often below -10C/14F. Unlike traditional Merlot growing regions, the rainy season in Huailai is during growing season. So, one must wonder, how do they successfully grow Merlot.

For what it's worth, we're at a similar latitude to both Bordeaux and Napa, at an altitude of roughly 300 meters or nearly 1000 feet and the soil is naturally high in fairly porous minerals. But, really the key is that the Yan Mountains shelter the vineyards from nearly all of these heinous weather events. They block the moisture from the south providing for intense summer sunlight, and at the same time, shield the vineyards from the "Siberian Express" in winter.

Much of the wine in China is made by Great Wall Wine Company. As you might have guessed either from knowledge of the country or from the name, the company is government controlled. As a result, we don't know much about the grape-growing or winemaking processes. What we do know is that we've been presented with a vertical of five vintages of Great Wall's Four-Star Merlot considred to be the finest expression of the grape in the country. Noticeably, the wines have improved with each vintage indicating that perhaps the winemaking techniques have improved as it is unlikely that Merlot would get worse with each year of aging while still fairly young.

On the nose, we get strong notes of blueberry, plum, and black cherry. On the palate, in the younger vintages, we notice hints of warm cocoa.

Pair your Hebei Province Merlot with large game or tradtiional northern Chinese beef dishes with their hearty, but not overly spicy sauces.

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