During a recent trip to China, I visited with Melvin, the owner of Mountain Wave Winery. This property is about a 45 minute drive from the center of Yinchuan, the largest city in the immediate region. The property is located on gravelly soils at the base of the Helan mountains in the autonomous region of Ningxia, China. Grapes were first planted on the property in 2016 and the winery was built in 2022/2023. The original vineyard is planted to 2.5 hectares of Pinot Noir, 2.5 hectares of Marselan and 3 hectares of Malbec. Additional vineyard blocks include Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from more recently acquired land. Pressure from insects is low here due to the very dry climate; however they always have enough water for irrigation with water sourced from the Yellow River.
The first layer of meaning from the name ‘mountain wave’ pays homage to the shape of the nearby mountains. The mountain father protects from the harsh winds from Mongolia. And the wave refers to the Yellow River – what locals refers to as, “the river mother”. The shape of the nearby Helen Mountain resembles a wave. While perhaps mountain wave sounds a bit generic, dig deeper and there are additional layers of meaning, like the layers represented in their wines. In life you have ups and downs; don’t get too high and don’t get to low. The wave represents the cadence of life. And ties into vintages, i.e. good vintages and bad vintages.
Melvin’s wife studied architecture in Germany and designed the modern looking building.
During our visit we tried several wines.
The 2021 Mountain Wave Winery Malbec is deep ruby in color; the bouquet is a union of dark spices and brambly fruits and toasted oak influences from its barrel aging. This wine shows plenty of oak on the bouquet and the palate. These aromatics include vanilla, graham cracker and mocha. Juicy, bright and expressing loads of both red and blue fruits. The palate includes flavors of blueberry, red plum, raspberry, red cherry and boysenberry. Lingers fresh with a light tartness accompanied by moderately textured tannins devoid of edges. Their presence lingers with a dusty and chalky light grip, fully coating the palate, which outpaces the fruit on the finish. Also an assortment of smoked herbs, white pepper and toasted oak. Savory. Spicy.
The 2023 Mountain Wave Winery Red Blend includes Marselan, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is deep ruby in color; showing a noticeable amount of oak even when overtly chilled, its aromatics include dill (perhaps its most pronounced aromatic), toasted oak, dark chocolate, cloves, spicy plum skin and crushed pink peppercorn. This wine tastes like red plums, dark raspberry, cloves, red cherry, assorted dried herbs including sage and a lingering note of crushed dark pepper. Brightly lit, its acidity is balanced. There is a slight warmth of lingering alcohol on the finish which overrides both the fruit and the texture. The Cabernet Franc was over 16.0% alcohol in this blend. Its tannins are highly polished and fit seamlessly into the supple finish. Lingers with a light note of pepper spice
The 2019 Mountain Wave Winery Marselan, Ningxia Helanshan Viny Region. This wine is deep ruby in color and opaque; the bouquet is immediately savory with aromas of old baseball mitt being used on a hot day (similar to the 38 C day on which we are tasting this wine), dried fruits including cherry and blackberry, blueberry, old cedar box and smoked cedar, tobacco spice, dried bay leaf, white sage and a ferrous/minerally character. Let this wine evolve, the fruit becomes more prominent as it is exposed to oxygen. Distinctive. Offers loads of fruit on the palate including bramble and dark plum, dark cherry, boysenberry and Persian mulberry, accompanied by tobacco, pepper, dried bay leaf, dried oregano, smoked sage and smoked cedar. The tannins fully coat the palate with a light to moderate grip and linger with a light drying character, outpacing the fruit on the finish. But they do not dominate. The palate is as savory as the bouquet. Medium acidity. Fully ripe but not over ripe; its ABV is a listed 15.0%. This was an exceptional vintage.
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