China producer profile: Xige Estate – Qingtongxia, Ningxia

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.

The successful merchant, also an oenologist trained at the University of Bordeaux, embedded his ambition of reshaping how Chinese wines are produced and marketed into the project, aiming for the scale and international acclaim of renowned wineries such as Robert Mondavi Winery and Torres.

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.

Upholding the motto ‘Chinese Terroir, Chinese Wine’, Xige Estate, now managing 2,133ha under vine in its seventh anniversary, has become one of the largest and fastest-growing fine wine estates in the country. Expanding his wine enterprise, Yanzhi has established three more estates in the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau, including Zuogong County in Tibet, Deqin County in Yunnan, and Garzê County in Sichuan.

Yanzhi believes that choosing a unique, memorable grape variety is key to establishing the identity of a wine region or even a wine-producing country. At Xige Estate, Cabernet Gernischt – a Chinese clone of Carmenère widely cultivated in many of the country’s key wine regions – is the variety of choice.

Taking a premium approach to crafting this variety, 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.

Among its top offerings, the Jade Dove Single Vineyard Cabernet Gernischt (see below), featuring a painting of a dove by Emperor Huizong (1082-1135) of the Song Dynasty on the label, is widely awarded at domestic and international wine competitions. It was also selected as the designated reception wine for the meeting between the Presidents of China and France in Guangzhou in April 2023.

Xige Estate’s Grand Vin also incorporates Cabernet Gernischt as a blending partner to Cabernet Sauvignon. Priced above 1000 CNY (110 GBP), it is one of the best-selling Chinese wines in this price range on the domestic market, with annual sales of 60,000 bottles. The Grand Vin was showcased at the recently concluded 6th Sino-French Cultural Forum held in Deauville, France, and was enjoyed by guests, including former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

Xige Estate’s vineyard in Qingtongxia, Ningxia.

Although trained as an oenologist, 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 consulted 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.

Chateau Changyu, Golden Icewine Valley, Black Diamond Vidal, Huanren, Liaoning 2022

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