Château Longyu “M12”: China’s Most Successful Wine Icon Comes to Europe
It’s something of a red-gold drumbeat from Ningxia: The M12 2021, the most successful “ICON” from Château Changyu Moser XV, will be available in Europe starting Autumn 2025. However, the release is strictly limited – only 3,000 bottles will make their way to Europe. Pre-orders are now open.
In recent years, the M12 has become a top-seller in the Chinese domestic market – with 130,000 bottles produced and sold annually – a figure comparable to the great “Châteaux Bordeaux.” This makes M12 by far the best-selling icon wine in China. A good reason to finally make it available to European wine lovers.
When a Chinese wine is featured in a first-class blind tasting – judged by ten highly respected Masters of Wine – alongside Château Lafite Rothschild 2021, Penfolds Grange 2020, and Opus One 2021, and is considered one of the highlights of the event, it sends a wake-up call to the European wine scene. That’s exactly what Château Longyu M12 2021 achieved, receiving the same score as Château Lafite Rothschild. The tasting was part of a panel organized by the renowned British trade publication The Drinks Business during ProWein.
Château Longyu & Winemaker Lenz M. Moser
The M12 is the flagship wine of the Longyu Estate, part of the Changyu Moser XV family – one of China’s most ambitious wine projects. The Austrian winemaker and visionary Lenz M. Moser, who has been working with Changyu in China for 20 years, is jointly responsible for its vinification. He is considered the longest-serving bridge-builder between China and Europe in the wine world.
What particularly delights Moser: the M12 – significantly shaped by the Ningxia winemaking team led by Mr. Jiang – has established itself as a trendsetter in the Château’s stylistic identity. The world’s smallest Cabernet Sauvignon berries (a result of the desert climate) give the wine its unmistakable character: pure Cabernet fruit paired with fascinating finesse and elegance.
And the team in Ningxia is far from finished. Their next major initiative is already underway: “Let the Berries Speak” – a multi-year program aimed at further refining the wine’s pure, terroir-driven typicity.
Together with M12 and “Purple Air Comes from the East” (PACE), Château Longyu – known by this name in China, and continuing as Changyu Moser XV in Europe – forms the qualitative spearhead of Chinese winemaking: powerful, distinctive, and internationally refined.
An ICON from China
Château Longyu M12 2021 is a cuvée of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Marselan, grown at about 1,100 meters altitude at the foot of the Helan Mountains in Ningxia. Marselan brings floral and spicy notes, while the Cabernet provides structure and depth. The soils – composed of silt, sand, clay, and river gravel – offer ideal conditions for concentrated, long-lived red wines.
Harvesting was done by hand into small 10-kilo boxes, and vinification followed traditional methods. After temperature-controlled fermentation at 25–30 °C, the wine matured for 24 months in new French barriques – imparting elegant toasty notes, layered tannins, and great aging potential.
Moser and Mr. Jiang are especially enthusiastic about the wine’s originality. That’s precisely the goal: to unite region, grape variety, and philosophy into a truly authentic, regionally expressive fine wine.
Tasting Notes & Style
In the glass, the M12 shows a deep ruby red with violet highlights. The bouquet is rich and complex: cherries, plums, cassis, and raspberries, accompanied by mocha, spices, tobacco, vanilla, and fine cedar wood. On the palate, it is elegant yet powerful and dense, with silky tannins, balanced acidity, a deep core, and impressive length.
Alcohol: 15% vol
pH: 3.67
Total acidity: 4.9 g/l
→ A balanced profile with excellent aging potential.
Château Longyu M12 2021 will be available in Europe starting Autumn 2025, with only 3,000 bottles released.
Retail Price: €260.–
Pre-orders now open:
📧 lenz.moser@lmm-projects.com
📱 +49 151 531 19 134
