domaine tetta
Niimi, Okayama

Grapes: Chardonnay
Type: White
Style: Dry, full-bodied
Colour: Medium gold
Alcohol: 15%
Wild yeast: Yes
Any added sulphites: 15 ppm 
Filtered: Yes (coarse filter)
Serving temperature: 7-13°C
Production: 3,802 bottles
Please store in a cool, dark place.

Tasting notes
Concentrated aromas of honeyed lemon, dried fruit, tropical fruit, apricot and confiture are layered with elegant oak. Notes of toast, nuts and a delicate ginjo-like fragrance add further complexity. The palate is rich and full-bodied, carrying dense fruit from attack through to a long finish. Flavours of caramel, apricot jam and pineapple compote unfold alongside refined acidity and persistent minerality, giving depth and structure typical of an age-worthy style. A subtle nuance reminiscent of sake adds an intriguing dimension. The wine has strong potential for long-term ageing. Opening the bottle around 30 minutes before serving is recommended. It can be enjoyed for around five days after opening.

Food pairing
Roast lobster, scallops sautéed in brown butter, roast pork shoulder, Comté, aged Mimolette, grilled eel with sweet soy glaze (kabayaki), roast duck, Bresse chicken in a Vin Jaune–style cream sauce.

Winemaking
The 2023 vintage of domaine tetta’s barrel-aged Chardonnay has just arrived. With the previous 2022 vintage, harvest began unusually late on 13 November and was not completed until 6 December. That year, the winery’s top priority was to push grape ripeness to the absolute limit. Taking on that level of risk and seeing it through in practice provided valuable insights—an experience that has undoubtedly carried over into the 2023 vintage.

For 2023, the winemaking shifted towards a more balance-focused style, making the most of the wine’s concentrated fruit expression while also paying close attention to the presence of acidity and minerality. It is a wine that clearly showcases the excellent match between the variety and the vineyard’s limestone-rich soils, which are still rare in Japan.
Made from Chardonnay vines aged 7–13 years, grown at 430 metres above sea level on a south-west facing slope. Harvest took place between 19 October and 23 November 2023.

The grapes were neither destemmed nor crushed, and no skin maceration was carried out. Whole bunches were pressed directly, and the juice was fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks, followed by five months of ageing in oak barrels. No chaptalisation or acid adjustment was made. Sulphur dioxide was added at 15 ppm only, and the wine was bottled using a 75-micron filter.

Without chaptalisation, the wine naturally reached 15% alcohol, resulting in a powerful and structured style that challenges conventional expectations of Japanese wine.

Nutrition Facts per 100ml
Energy: 75 kcal
Fat: 0 g
 - Saturates: 0 g
Carbohydrate: 2.0 g
 - Sugar: 2.0 g
Protein: 0.1 g
Salt: 0g