Lao Jun Mei

Lao Jun Mei is an ancient small-leaf varietal out of Jiulongke, the narrow valley that also holds the Da Hong Pao mother trees. Monks from Tianxin Yongle Temple grew and refined it there, and very little of it was ever planted. Ours grows at Liu Guanzhai, northwest of Huiyuankeng and well inside the zhengyan core.

Tightly twisted leaf, dark with a faint gold cast. The liquor is clear amber, and the first thing up is caramelised sugar, warm rather than sweet, with a mature floral note behind it that reads more like dried flowers than fresh ones. The body is thick and lively at once. Sweetness holds a long time after swallowing and the aroma comes back on the breath. Rock bone rather than rock rhyme; the structure is the point here. It will still be giving something at ten infusions.