Alfredo Lin is one of our longest standing producer partners. The young maker is a veritable fount of knowledge: his jocularity and spirit of experimentation give rise to refined and consistent excellence in teamaking. Low-lying, sun drenched organic gardens in Mingjian are the site of this Ruby 18: a now-classic blend of Burmese Assam and the Taiwanese indigenous cultivar, touting big body, wintergreen aroma and fruited honey sweetness. Ruby’s Assam heritage can be tricky—bad examples are astringent with muddled flavor—Lin’s touch imbues the lustrous leaves with near-perfect secondary aroma, with clarity and structure.