Grace Wines Tasting, Part 2

 In Japan, observing tradition is very important. So the wines in my last post were essentially fashioned by the grandfather of current winemaker Ayana Misawa. However, Ayana also spent three years in Bordeaux, and was therefore interested to take her learnings back to Japan and try new things. The oak treatment of the Private Reserve, mentioned in the last post, was the first step, but it did not stop there.

Enter the Misawa vineyard at Akeno. This vineyard is situated at an altitude of 700m, based on volcanic soil. Grapes are trained along rows using single and double guyot, not common in Japan.

The 2015 Akeno Vineyard Misawa Koshu benefits from the lower yield at this altitude. The wine is more intense than the other Koshus and white pepper is a feature. I tasted similarity to Gruner Veltliner (94 points). Later she discovered that grapes from this vineyard include a different acid, rare in Japan, which is very helpful for malolactic fermentation. As a result, the 2020 Misawa Koshu is the first Koshu undergoing malolactic fermentation, based on indigenous yeast, and again it sees seasoned oak. The wine is still citrus dominant, but is more complex, with oak flavours and minerality rounding out the picture. This is clearly the most interesting Koshu of the tasting (95 points).

Grace Wines also make Chardonnay from this vineyard. I find the 2019 Misawa Chardonnay quite pure, but a little broad (92 points). The 2020 comes from a warmer vintage. It is a more generous wine with tropical flavours (92 points). Generally, I do not believe these wines hold a lot of special interest overseas.

Then we come to the reds. The 2020 Yamanashi Rouge is based on the Japanese grape Muscat Bailey. The wine is quite fruity and a bit confected (87 points). More interesting are the two Bordeaux blends, which come from the Misawa vineyard. The 2019 Akeno Rouge is Merlot dominant, with some Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Merlot ripens easier at this altitude than Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has a long maturation period to achieve ripeness. It is very elegant and enjoyable, but not very concentrated. The Merlot delivers a velvety character to the wine (92 points). And then we get to the 2019 Misawa Rouge. This is a world class wine. Cabernet Franc is the dominant grape (60%), followed by Petit Verdot (30%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%). This wine is still tight, but shows excellent red fruit intensity with an elegant mouthfeel. Spice and oak flavours deliver complexity, but it is the fruit which makes this wine special. In a blind tasting, you would never pick this as a wine from Japan; but you have to pay $200 per bottle for the privilege (95/+++ points). 

It was an excellent experience to taste the full range of Grace Wines. I think there is something here for everybody.