The project began in 2017 when wine merchant ZHANG Yanzhi (pictured) purchased 1,000 hectares of old vines in Ningxia’s Qingtongxia subregion, south of Yinchuan. Now 27 years old, these vines are considered old by Ningxia standards; the region only started planting commercial vineyards in the 1990s.
ZHANG Yanzhi, owner of Xige Estate, Ningxia
In 2019, Xige’s state-of-the-art winery was completed, capable of producing two million bottles a year, from approachable quaffers to premium cuvées and even on-trend canned wines.
Now managing 2,133ha under vine, the estate specialises in Cabernet Gernischt (the Chinese clone of Carmenère), among other popular international varieties. Xige’s top-tier Cabernet Gernischt wines are some of the most refined and complex expressions of the grape, showcasing ripe capsicum-inflected dark fruits and creamy tannins.
Although trained as an oenologist at the University of Bordeaux, Yanzhi positions himself more as the business mind behind Xige. As he puts it, a solid commercial plan ‘lays the foundation for all aspirations’, especially in a sluggish post-pandemic market.
However, Yanzhi hasn’t abandoned his passion for winemaking. Mentored by the late Professor Denis Dubourdieu during his time in Bordeaux, Yanzhi consulting him on his first boutique winery project Guanlan, which he started in 2012. Applying Dubourdieu’s invaluable insight when establishing Xige, Yanzhi one day hopes to create a wine to pay tribute to his mentor – ‘and name it “Homework”,’ he says.
Xige Estate, Jade Dove Single Vineyard Cabernet Gernischt, Helan Mountain East, Ningxia 2019
2023 DWWA Silver – 92pts
DWWA: Intriguing nose with spice and black pepper allied to dark cherry and eucalyptus on the dry palate. Aged 12 months in barrel, 90% French and 10% American oak.
Grape: Cabernet Gernischt 100%. Alc: 13.8%
Trade contact: info@xige-estate.com
