Domaine Hase
Takayama Village, Nagano
Grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Syrah
Type: White
Style: Dry, medium-bodied
Colour: Medium gold
Alcohol: 12%
Wild yeast: Yes
Any added sulphites: 15 ppm
Filtered: No
Serving temperature: 7-10°C
Production: 1,100 bottles
Please store in a cool, dark place.
Tasting notes
Complex aromas of Japanese mandarin, Yuzu, marmalade, pear, apricot, quince, jasmin, ginger, honey, hazelnut, caramel and dried fruits. Also some minerals and salinity can be found.
Food pairing
Cod Saikyo-yaki, scallop carpaccio, salt ramen noodles, sand borer tempura, foie gras, roast duck, grilled mackerel sushi, squid fritto, sautéed pork with orange sauce
Winemaking
Mainly white grape varieties, such as Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling, and a few black grape varieties were harvested at once from each plot. After skin contact, the wine was pressed and transferred to small 228L barrels for fermentation with wild yeasts. Malolactic fermentation and maturation were also done in the same barrels. The wine was matured in the barrels for 10 months. Due to the unstable weather conditions and lack of sunshine prior to the harvest, the 2022 has some youthfulness and hard nuances, but winemaker Hase expects it to develop through further bottle ageing.
2022 was the fifth anniversary of the winery's establishment. When the vineyard was opened, the farm was named Hikaru Farm; the first grapes harvested in 2016 were released as Hikaru Farm Blanc in a commissioned vinification; when the winery was established in 2017, the grapes from that own farm were vinified as Domaine Hase. In 2022, the fifth anniversary of the winery’s establishment, the wine was vinified using grapes from several plots, inspired by the 2016 wine.
Each plot of Hikaru Farm vineyards is planted with grapes suited to the slope direction, altitude and soil. Some plots are planted with Burgundian motifs, others with German varieties, others with Japanese varieties, etc. Considering the impact on the grapes and wild yeasts, chemical pesticides, chemical fertilisers and herbicides are not used, and except for the disease-susceptible Chardonnay plot, the grapes are grown without the use of rain-shelter, which is common in Japanese vineyards. Conventionally, wine is made for each plot, but only Hikaru Farm Blanc is made as a wine that represents the terroir of the Fukuihara district where the company's farm is located.
