Meldung vom 18.09.2026
With the new vintage of the 23 Family Cabernet Sauvignon, Château Changyu Moser XV offers an impressive glimpse of where Chinese fine wine is heading. For Chief Winemaker Lenz Maria Moser, 2023 is not only one of the estate’s finest vintages, but also a decisive step towards a distinctive style of its own: powerful and concentrated, yet fresh, elegant and full of finesse.
Ningxia/Vienna, September 2026. There are wines you enjoy talking about. And then there are those that make even an experienced winemaker a little nervous when the first bottle is opened after bottling. For Lenz Maria Moser, the 23 Family Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 from Château Changyu Moser XV clearly belongs to the latter category.
“2023 is a true milestone for me,” says the Austrian winemaker and Chief Winemaker of Château Changyu Moser XV. “We are not copying anyone; we are following our own path. The grapes were perfectly ripe, and we got the timing of the harvest exactly right. Two days later, the hot autumn winds would already have started turning grapes into raisins on the vines.”
From Building Foundations to a Leap in Quality
The vintage is also emblematic of a development Moser likes to describe as the “Hockey Stick Approach”: a long period of consistent groundwork is followed by the moment when the curve suddenly begins to rise steeply. Moser believes that winegrowing in Ningxia is increasingly reaching precisely this point.
The aim was never to reproduce Bordeaux in China. Instead, the goal has been to develop, over many years, a distinctive style that captures the unique conditions of the region in the bottle. The 23 Family Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 expresses this signature more clearly than ever: tremendous power and intense fruit, ripe tannins and concentration – yet at the same time remarkable freshness and elegance.
The foundations for this are provided by an exceptional terroir. The vineyards lie at around 1,100 metres above sea level, and the dry desert climate provides approximately 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, while cool nights help the grapes retain their freshness despite reaching high levels of ripeness. Another characteristic is the particularly small size of the Cabernet Sauvignon berries, with their high skin-to-pulp ratio – an important factor in achieving colour, structure and aromatic intensity.
In 2023, these conditions were complemented by an almost perfect growing season. Moser was personally on site during the harvest and still vividly remembers the moment when he tasted the finished wine for the first time after bottling.
“Opening the first bottle after bottling is incredibly exciting for me every single time. I really do get nervous. We tasted the 2023 alongside the 2022 – and I had tears in my eyes. The bottle was empty in no time. That was when we knew: everything had come together perfectly.”
“Velvet and Silk – an Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove”
Moser’s tasting note leaves no doubt about the significance this vintage holds for him:
“Deep, dark ruby red with violet reflections. The nose is already enormously dense and concentrated: cassis, black cherry, black pepper, sweet spices, tobacco, cedarwood and violets, complemented by mineral and earthy notes. On the palate, dark chocolate, herbs, lavender, rosemary and liquorice emerge.”
For Moser, however, the real sensation lies in the wine’s structure: “The tannins are velvet and silk – the classic iron fist in a velvet glove. The wine is dense and powerful while retaining freshness and finesse.”
With the 23 Family Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, Château Changyu Moser XV makes another powerful statement about the evolution of Chinese fine wine. Not as an interpretation of a European model, but as a wine with its own origin, its own identity – and a curve that is now clearly pointing upwards.
Where to buy: Available on request.