Born with the 2017 vintage, Long Dai is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Marselan, and Cabernet Franc. The traditional Bordeaux winemaking method for the emblematic grape varieties is complemented by gentle extractions for the Marselan, facilitating a slow diffusion of aromatic and phenolic compounds. The first wine of Long Dai combines the distinctive qualities of each of the terraces from which it originates, its grapes, and the climate. A balanced and mineral wine that exhibits a combination of tasty black fruits and sweet spices. "Long Dai is the result of the distinctive qualities of each of its terraces, its grape blend, and the climate. It's a combination of delicious black fruits and sweet spices on a fine, balanced palate, bound by a minerality that melts through it." - Denise Cosentino, Technical Manager Winemaker notes 2021: The wine has a beautiful deep purple color. On the nose, a floral framework recalls notes of peony, followed by subtle notes of cocoa, accompanied by aromas of berries such as raspberry. The palate is full, complex and vibrant with aromas of redcurrant. The freshness is enhanced by silky tannins, leading to a persistent, mouthwatering finish. 2019 Wine Advocate 92: The 2019 Domaine de Long Dai is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc and 6% Marselan, a blend that partly reflects the warm, dry year that was 2019 (not dissimilar to 2018). The 2019 Long Dai has a deep purple appearance. On the nose, there is some lifted but very young dark fruit showing cassis, bramble, mulberry, black cherry and a hint of blueberry with a touch of violet as well as some slight herbaceous notes (sage, green bell pepper). These primary characters are complemented by some gentle new oak influence (the 2019 Long Dai having been matured in a range of French barriques both new and old for some 18 months). On the palate, the 2019 Long Dai is austere in this youthful stage with fine-grained, coating tannins showing to the fore, some refreshing acidity—so typical of wines from this region—and relatively well-integrated 14.5% alcohol. This structure is nicely fleshed out with the dark fruit and savory oak notes. With its relatively long length, the 2019 vintage does not have the same density as the 2018, but it will be fascinating to see how both vintages age. James Suckling 95: A wine that you should decant properly if you decide to open now. Pretty red-berry fruit, fresh blueberries and black cherries, nuanced spices and understated sandalwood and fine, stemmy freshness, evolving to violets and minerals. The medium-to full-bodied palate is hit by a dollop of tight and fine-grained tannins that dissipate into the fruit. This is also a vintage in which I feel Long Dai shows less acidity, which renders a mellow and calm sensibility. It’s quite dry, if not a little austere at first, but when you give it time to breathe, you will find more generosity on the palate with sweeter fruit. While it shows pedigree, power, and restraint, a little more depth on the palate would take it to the next level. A blend of 85% cabernet sauvignon, 9% cabernet franc and 6% marselan. 2020 Wine Advocate 94: The 2020 Domaine de Long Dai is a blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Cabernet Franc and 20% Marselan and has a relatively deep ruby appearance. As noted in my review of the 2020 Hu Yue (Long Dai’s second wine), this was an initially cooler and wetter vintage followed by a relatively dry growing season; but the fluctuations in temperature and obviously very different ripening conditions in its 420 terraces of vineyard meant that the Long Dai harvest extended from September 3 to October 28. James Suckling 95: “Balance” and “freshness” are the key words for this 2020 Long Dai-- a big difference from the warmer, denser 2019. Understated but a pure, precise and vibrant nose, with fine spices to the fresh plums, cherries, currants, mineral and hints of iodine, graphite and freshly picked flowers. Vibrant fruit with lots of deep, rounded tannins that grow on the palate. Medium to full body with impressive structure, texture and purity of fruit. More lively and brighter than the deeper and more supple 2019. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 24% cabernet franc and 20% marselan. 2021 Wine Advocate 94: Domaine de Long Dai’s flagship wine in the 2021 vintage is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Marselan and 19% Cabernet Franc. As noted in my review of Long Dai’s 2021 second wine, Hu Yue, this kind of blend, to some extent, reflects the overall cooler vintage conditions (similar to 2020) that Long Dai experienced in the Qiu Shan Valley. Fortunately, June and July saw reasonably warm, dry and even temperatures to bolster flowering and early grape development. But with a number of rainy spells in September and October, the Long Dai team commenced harvest relatively early, applying rigorous selection across its 547 terraces covering some 38 hectares. That degree of selection has paid off. 2021 Long Dai has a deep purple appearance and sports an immediately appealing and approachable nose of vibrant, perfumed, black cherry, bramble, cassis, mulberry, blueberry and damson (this assemblage of fruit notes is derived from the combinations of Cabernets and Marselan) with some leafy herbaceousness and complemented by oak-influenced vanilla, clove, toast and smoke (the 2021 vintage saw around 18 months maturation in French barriques, percentage of new undisclosed, all issuing from DBR Lafite’s coopers). On the palate, it is full-bodied with impressively ripe and polished, fine-grained tannins; there’s been a real effort here, as in the 2020 vintage, to shape Marselan’s sometimes austere tannin profile with vibrant acidity and very well-integrated 13.5% alcohol. There’s an impressive core of ripe, vinous and vivacious dark fruit with integrated oak and well-managed pyrazine. With its long length and layered finish, this strikes me as on par with the 2020. That said, I would need to taste both Hu Yue and Long Dai vertically to reappraise the wines. Already approachable, 2021 Long Dai has a significant life ahead of it and will develop well in bottle over, at least, the next 8-10 years. James Suckling 95: Very youthful and bright, with blue and purple fruit, violets, graphite and cassis. It’s firm, crunchy and tense on the palate, with lots of juicy blue fruit and a structured, al dente finish. You can taste the grape juiciness and crunch on the palate. 50% cabernet sauvignon, 31% marselan and 19% cabernet franc. Long. Drink or hold.
