[ow yoon]

brand story
Founded in 2008, Ao Yun, which means “flying above the clouds” in Chinese, is located in a rural corner of the Himalayan foothills in China’s Yunnan Province, not far from the legendary city of Shangri-La. With few roads, no electricity, limited materials, and vineyards too steep to be planted and maintained with machinery, its founding team had to draw on ingenuity and generations of local savoir-faire to create the first Himalayan Grand Cru. After nearly a decade of planning and preparation, they presented their first vintage to the world with global acclaim.
Ao Yun, Yunnan
Touching the sky

Surrounded by peaks, Ao Yun’s vineyards grow at altitudes up to 8,500 feet high.This extreme environment has posed many challenges for the estate, but has also contributed to the distinct flavor and texture defining its wines. The farmers who tend to the vines have worked these lands for centuries, adapting their techniques to the steep mountainsides. To respect time-honored local tradition, the grape harvest and winemaking at Ao Yun are still all done entirely by hand.

“Ao Yun is the definition of rare and exceptional.”
Maxence Dulou, Estate Manager

Unique terroir calls for a unique approach. Winemaker Maxence Dulou grew up in Le Sauternais, France and made wine in Burgundy, Bordeaux, Chile and South Africa prior to moving his family to China’s Yunnan Province to be Ao Yun’s Estate Manager. Passionate about exploring a new terroir and determined to unearth its fullest potential, he had to channel his creativity and adapt to the terrain, including choosing to ferment some of Ao Yun’s wine in porous baijiu clay jars.