Riccardo L.

9.0

Much better than you think it will be, and the labelling is amazing. Butter and oak heavy - almost tastes like Napa — 5 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.3

Canaan Winery — Chapter and Verse Reserve Merlot 2015. Huailai, Hebei, China 🇨🇳

Overview
A stunning expression of Merlot from one of China’s pioneering premium wineries. This 100% Merlot demonstrates that exceptional fine wine can emerge from unexpected places, delivering remarkable elegance, balance, and varietal purity. A true benchmark for modern Chinese winemaking.

Aromas & Flavors
Expressive aromas of ripe blackberries, dark cherries, and red plum are complemented by layers of cocoa, freshly roasted coffee, sweet baking spices, and a subtle earthy nuance. The palate is beautifully integrated, offering concentrated fruit without excess weight or ripeness.

Mouthfeel
Silky, polished, and exceptionally refined. Fine-grained tannins glide effortlessly across the palate, creating a luxurious texture with rounded edges, vibrant freshness, and an impressively long, harmonious finish.

Food Pairings
Roast duck, beef tenderloin, mushroom risotto, Peking duck, grilled lamb, aged Gouda, or simply enjoy it on its own to appreciate its remarkable finesse.

Verdict
This wine completely breaks the paradigm of what many expect from Chinese wines. Sophisticated, impeccably balanced, and remarkably smooth, it competes confidently with premium Merlots from far more established wine regions.

Did You Know?
Founded in 2006, Canaan Winery is considered one of China’s leading boutique producers. Located in the cool-climate region of Huailai in Hebei Province, the estate has helped showcase China’s growing potential for producing world-class fine wines.

🍷 Personal Pick
One of those rare bottles that consistently creates a genuine “Whoa!” moment. It surprised everyone at the table and completely changed my perception of premium Chinese wines. Crazy smooth, impeccably balanced, silky tannins, and unforgettable elegance. — 2 years ago

Danny Owens

9.0

Worth trying? $40 at tasting room

YES IT WAS — 5 years ago

Michelle Molina

9.6

Creamy smooth vhino verse esque with Gena — 7 years ago

Robbert van Ooijen

9.1

🍷licht roze 👃🏻rood zomerfruit, licht bloemig (roos), heel licht aards 👅 verse framboos, aardbei, kers, nauwelijks tannine, hoog in de zuren — 8 years ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.0

Vintage 2014 - Aussies sure know how to deal with shiraz! Combination of Barossa Shiraz ánd McLaren Vale Shiraz. Velvety, cherries, spicy. A treat with the Dutch 'boerenkoolstamppot met verse worst' #syrah #shiraz #loveit Gains interesting after a lot of aeration, the smell gets exuberant! Second day with tortellini funghi, a treat — 10 years ago

Dave

9.2

A modestly priced Chinon which tastes a lot like a GSM (to my novice palette). Bold flavors and a bit of spice, more tobacco than green pepper. I have a few 2020's, maybe I'll pull one for a side by side. But this is very enjoyable.
Listening to Matthew Sweet.
If you're bored, do this for fun.. pull up "Smog Moon" by Matthew Sweet, and sing these lyrics over the first verse: "There's a smog moon, in the amber sky... Rosanna! Rosanna!" — 10 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.3

A blend of Cab Sauv. Tempranillo and Durif give an abundance of red fruits with an intense velvety notes and taste. Persistent notes of baked black cherry and raspberry pie. Powerful and luscious, Some leather and cacao flavors are mostly by the back-end of the palate. Lingering finish. — 2 years ago

Miles Cunningham

9.0

This is a very nice merlot. On the lighter side, but charismatic. — 4 years ago

Alex Hall

9.8

Very very nice!
Not too sweet but deep flavour as if it had been left over for a day or 2! — 5 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.8

The stage was set. Pontet Canet in the left corner, Leonetti reserve in the right corner. Leonetti came in strong, intense, rich, powerful with strong dry blue berry, dark cherry fruit and a well integrated tannins with hints of oak and tobacco. Broad on the pallet, all in. Who won? Almost too close to call. Such different style. Broad and bold verse intense and deep. Check the ratings! — 7 years ago

with Tammy

Stacks

9.0

Second verse same as the first — 9 years ago

with Sadie

Keith Herrick

9.3

The 89 has plateaued but this 78 was definitely fading. That said, I still found it delicious. You can tell when an old wine is educational verse actually good because you only go back for a second glass of the latter! This had incredibly rich, toasty nuttiness to it. Very candied but not cloying at all. Still good effervescence as well. — 10 years ago

Liselotte Brouwers

9.8

Een eer om te drinken. Deze wijn blijft geven en is perfect in balans en bovenal prachtig op dronk. Pure verse truffel, tabak, leer, laurier, paddenstoelen.
Gekregen voor mijn verjaardag vorig jaar van al mijn lieve vrienden, gezien '95 mijn geboortejaar is en nu mogen drinken met wijnvrienden om te vieren dat we samen eerste werden op het NK blindproeven. Heel dankbaar! ❤️ — a year ago

Mark Allen

9.3

Went down well. Very smooth — 4 years ago

Mary Spaeth

9.4

Robust and rich; oak, tobacco, peppers and cherries with a long finish. Great with Iberico and Manchego cheeses — 4 years ago

Mathew

9.3

Bracing lip suckering bright acidity with a side of farmhouse funk, what’s not to love? With some spicy Korean style mackerel and some verse by Anne Carson on the side - it’s even better. — 5 years ago

Paul Lovick

9.2

Easy to drink — 7 years ago

Greg Smith

10

Love this! From Virgin Wines and we had it with pasta, chicken, prosciutto and cheese sauce. Perfect match! — 8 years ago

with Bev

Gerald Kelly

9.7

Excellent accompaniment to prime rib — 10 years ago