December 2023 Wine Reviews

First signs of the approaching winter on Mount Kurohime

We are writing on the eve of another winter season. This will be our twelfth winter in Nagano and, while we enjoy every season living on the slopes of Mount Kurohime, winter is special here — marked by low temperatures and deep snow. Waking up to two meters of fresh white snow is not unusual. But we are prepared — our snow plow is as big as a small car. So far the forecast for the season is mixed. The past summer was the hottest we have experienced and the “logic” of the weather forecast could lead us either in the direction of a warm, wet winter season or conversely a very cold one with less precipitation. Neither is very good news for the multitude of ski resorts that are counting on welcoming record numbers of foreign tourists now that the COVID pandemic is on the wane. Time will tell.

Wine is also very dependent on the weather and, like with the ski slopes, mixed signals are never good news particularly for an industry that was severely disrupted by COVID. In the run-up to the Christmas/New Year season, we will be commenting in this blog on a number of wines that illustrate how Japanese winemakers have responded to these challenges in ways that highlight the growing maturity of the industry.

Specifically, we will be looking into two areas: 1) blending wines to bring out the best elements of the grapes and to make up for deficiencies and 2) laying up wines to better develop their flavors and character. In a subsequent review, we will be assessing the use of contract farmers to expand grape production and the growing reliance on consultants to help small growers “make” the wine. There are opportunities and pitfalls in both.

Blending Grapes

Blending seems like a “no-brainer” especially given the rainy weather during the harvest period in Japan and the all too hot and humid summers. Mixing Chardonnay and Merlot grapes with any number of sweeter, easier to manage varietals is a well-established practice in Europe and is so to a lesser but still significant extent in the US. This approach is just beginning to take root in Japan — and with good results.

Cyclo (496) Winery Team Pursuit 2020

This small winery is located in Tomi City, the self-proclaimed wine capital of Nagano. It is the vision of former bicycler racer Noriyuki Iijima and his wife, Yuko, and has been in operation since 2014 when they first planted their vines on some two hectares of land. This is a small operation! Mr. Ijima initially produced single grape wines (Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc), which generally, given the short history of the vines and the relatively high altitude of the vineyard at over 700 meters, resulted in wines with low sugars and weak flavors (see British wine critic Jaime Goode’s appraisal in May 2020). But Cyclo has gotten a lot more interesting recently and one reason is a wine aptly called “Team Pursuit”, which brings together Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in a rollicking explosion of flavors (tangerines, nectarines and pineapple), a brilliant orange color and 13 percent alcohol. This will be a clear favorite with the punchbowl crowd, but also is something to keep on hand to enjoy with cheese and crackers deep into winter. It is a sunny, happy wine that fortunately is still available on the winery’s website.

Price 3000 yen; available online at the Cyclo Winery Online Shop

Sun Sun Winery Chardonnay Viognier 2021

Hideo Togawa is the dean of the winemaking community in Nagano. We first met him in 2017 when we were just starting our exploration of Nagano wines. He had just released his first group of wines as the winemaker at Sun Sun Winery in Shiojiri, which was created by a company that provides health insurance and long-term care for the elderly. Mr. Togawa came to Sun Sun after a long tenure as the winemaker at Chateau Mercian, one of Japan’s big three wine makers. We liked the earlier group of Chardonnays that he made, but there were always the typical issues related to weather that made it difficult to produce consistently good wine year after year. Thus, we were eager to try the Chardonnay Viognier blend that he brought to the table for the first time this year. In a word, this blend is well worth the wait. As wine expert Jancis Robinson has argued, Viognier has the effect of making any wine that it is blended with both more fragrant and full-bodied. Alcohol is 13 percent. 

Price 3740 yen; available online at Sun Sun Winery Online Shop

Sun Sun Estate Chardonnay “Naked” 2020

Interestingly, Mr. Togawa also produced an excellent 100 percent Chardonnay in 2020. Alcohol was a bit light at 12.5 percent, but the wine manifested fruit flavors of pineapple and citrus along with a deep sweetness, which was reminiscent of the Petite Manseng that we reviewed over the past summer. Moreover, this sweetness is balanced by a nice level of acidity, although this wine is still better for the cocktail hour than dinner. Overall, both wines are a confirmation that, under the direction of a skilled winemaker, Japanese Chardonnay can be ranked with the whites of Europe, the United States and Australia at a price point that you and I can afford. Unfortunately, this is not yet the norm so place an order for either or both of these wines while you still can.

Price 2790 yen; available at the Sun Sun Winery Online Shop

Kitazawa Winery Syrah 2020

The Kitazawa Winery Syrah 2020 is a confused and confusing wine. The grapes are from a new winery that is an offshoot of a family-run table grape farm. The Kitazawa family’s main business is growing fruit for the table, but they are now venturing into wine, planting Syrah and Malbec grapes. So far so good. Yet blending the two is an experiment. This mix is a favorite in Argentina and Australia but it is otherwise largely unknown. Not surprisingly, the genius behind this wine is the young winemaker, Nobutaka Hatano, who was contracted to make the wine. You may recall his success in working with another new winery, Wa Yawata, and the former fashion designer from Kyoto, Kiku Watanabe. The Cave Hatano Wa Yawata Sauvignon Blanc 2020 was excellent (see our July 2022 Review).

However this time Hatano has had dramatically less success. We are fans of Japanese Syrahs, most prominently those produced by the Votano Winery. But the Syrah can be a finicky grape in the Japanese setting where weather is always a factor at harvest time. So the idea of blending Syrah (87 percent) with Malbec (13 percent) to balance the spicy fruity flavors of the former with the gravelly presence of the latter is not intrinsically a bad approach. But it doesn’t work in this case. The Malbec seemed to “sit on” the spicy, peppery flavors we like so much in a Syrah. There was also an annoying “greeness” affirming that either or both of the grapes were not fully ripe at harvest — a suspicion further evidenced by the alcohol level of 12 percent. One typically blends wines in a way where the grapes used makeup for their respective weaknesses. Sadly, this blend seems to expose issue rather than remedy them.

Price: 3300 yen; available from a select group of retailers ; see http://kitazawabudouen.com/itemlist1.html

Cellaring Wines

Like elsewhere in the world, the overwhelming majority of Japanese wines are sold and consumed within a year or so of their release. This trend is further reinforced by “preference” among Japanese consumers for new wines — a “hangover” from a time when local wines were cheaply made and already a bit down “vinegar” highway. It is also related to the fact that the production of the average Japanese winery numbers less than 5000 bottles meaning that there is a financial imperative to sell what you make or risk lacking the financial resources to continue.

Of course, there is also the incentive for the producers to “hoard” wines from good years and to try to push out those that fall a bit (or a good way) below the standard. With this in mind, we thought to take a look at a group of Nagano wines produced in 2017 and 2018 — which are years widely acknowledged as the best years for Nagano wine over the past decade. Our list below is not comprehensive and was mainly driven by what we came upon in retail outlets such as Yorozuya (our local wine shop) and Kuraudo (a nice place to “try and buy” wine at Nagano Station). But for that reason, it is likely that there are more bottles like these still out in the market or available online. Bottom line is that we were surprised and pleased by what we discovered, teeing up an argument that if local winemakers can hold back some part of their production for a few years this may help to improve the overall image of Nagano as a producer of quality wines (and give you something to look forward to).

Azumino Winery Merlot 2018

The Azumino Winery is among the most beautiful in Nagano. It has a striking location with a panoramic view of the Northern Alps and a beautiful dining area equipped with a first class bakery. This said, the wine has usually disappointed during our visits — although we commented favorably on a 2019 Sauvignon Blanc during our first post-pandemic trip to the winery in March 2021. This time, we were looking through the selection of Azumino Wines at one of our favorite wine places, Kuraudo, which has a well stocked outlet at Nagano Station, and came upon this bottle at a price point that opened the door to some experimentation. 

We knew that 2018 was a great year for Nagano reds, but even so when we popped the cork we were frankly stunned at the quality of the wine. It was crazy fruity and smooth with the taste of casis and blackberries. The tannins were mild but clearly evident and the finish smooth and satisfying. The alcohol level was a pleasing 13 percent and there was no evidence of the vegetative scent that has ruined wines from this winery for us before. This is a STEAL at current exchange rates and is still available online. I am purchasing a few bottles for the holidays. Better hurry! 

Price: 3872 yen online from the Azumino Winery

Chateau Mercian Maruko Syrah 2017

The Syrah produced at the Chateau Mercian Maruko Winery in Nagano often sets the standard for this wine in Japan. This 2017 (if you can track it down) tastes of white pepper and blackberries with a nice balance of acidity and fruitiness and aromatic flavors that linger through a rich and velvety finish.n Tannins are nicely developed and the wine at year six is at the peak of perfection. Chateau Mercian makes a range of other delicious wines, but this one from a price performance perspective is among its top offerings of red wines. Alcohol is 13.5 percent and reflects the care invested in selecting only the best grapes.  

Price: 5830 yen; no longer available at winery’s online site, but can be found at speciality wine merchants, such as Kuraudo at Nagano Station and at Yorozuya in Shinanomachi, where we purchased it 

Sun Sun Kakizawa Merlot 2018

This is among the first wines produced by Mr. Togawa after he moved to the newly opened Sun Sun Winery. Fortunately, he had the right raw materials to work with. The Kakizawa district of Shiojiri city has a long history of producing notable wine, beginning in 1927 when Suntory opened a facility there to produce red wines (the famous “Akadama” wine, whose label was adorned by a “geisha” wearing a revealing kimono). 

But for a variety of reasons, the red wines produced by the Izutsu Winery and the Hayashi winery (the big guys in this neighborhood) have been a bit “hit and miss” — drinkable but always somewhat flawed. But this wine from Sun Sun, the newbie on the block, breaks the pattern and evidences again that a good winemaker and a great year can combine to produce a memorable wine — that you should buy! The alcohol is 12.5 percent and the flavor is somewhat thin — but particularly on day two, as the wine opens up more, a satisfying sweetness complemented by soft tannins emerges. This is not a “steak and potatoes” wine, but it will pair up nicely with a meal of red snapper or (better yet!) some pink fatty tuna sashimi. It is also clearly a wine that has benefitted from being laid up and then put on the market at the moment of perfection.

Price: 3740 yen; available at the Sun Sun Winery Online Shop