I chose this bottle as my first wine of the year. It was the most expensive single-vineyard wine among those we bought at Chuo Wine when my family visited Katsunuma last year.
Twisting open the screw cap and pouring the wine into the glass, a cool, muscat-like aroma immediately filled the room—something I had never experienced with a Koshu wine before. While the wine’s inherent potential is clearly high, I suspect that letting it rest in the cellar for a while also worked in its favor.
By international standards, I think this wine clearly defines its position as one that pairs well with Japanese cuisine.
That said, at around ¥4,000, the price puts it in a range where one could buy three bottles of a typical Koshu wine, so some might argue that this level of quality is only to be expected. Opinions may also differ depending on whether one views its somewhat “buttery,” Western-leaning nuances in a positive light. Still, all things considered, this bottle serves as an excellent benchmark for understanding where Koshu wine stands today.