Silver Heights Jia Yuan Pinot Noir 2023
Proof that Chinese wine is reaching new heights organically grown Pinot Noir from Ningxia’s best plots.
Grape Varietals & Region: 100% organically grown Pinot Noir from Silver Heights’ best plots on the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains, Ningxia, China, on Sierozem desert soil with a high concentration of gravel. To survive the region’s harsh, freezing winters, the vines are buried under 30cm of earth each year. Minimal sulphur is used and the wine avoids filtration.
Taste Profile: Bright ruby red colour with a light-medium body and silky smooth tannins. Notes of red cherries, dried cranberries, wild raspberries and strawberries with a hint of dried orange peel, liquorice and sweet spices, closing on an oaky finish. Very approachable and easy to drink.
Winemaking Process: Ages 16 months in French oak, 80% new, followed by additional bottle ageing before release.
Winemaker: Silver Heights was founded in 2007 by Lin Gao and his daughter Emma Gao, one of Ningxia’s pioneering fine wine estates. Emma moved to France at 21 to study oenology at the University of Bordeaux the first Chinese woman to earn the country’s national oenologist diploma where she met and married winemaker Thierry Courtade at Chteau Calon-Sgur before the pair returned to China together to build the winery. Silver Heights wine has since been served at state dinners, including to French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019.
