Grace Akeno Rouge 2021

Grace Winery (Chuo Budoshu) was founded in 1923 by Chotaro Misawa in Katsunuma, Yamanashi Prefecture — the birthplace of Japan's wine industry. The winery has a long history of innovation, becoming one of the first in the country to introduce Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) in 1990 to improve grape quality. Today it remains family-run, led by winemaker Ayana Misawa, Chotaro's great-great-granddaughter, and stands as a benchmark for quality in the Japanese winemaking community — balancing traditional craftsmanship with progressive technique to express the unique terroir of the region.

Sourced from the Misawa Vineyard in Akeno, this wine takes its name directly from its origin — "a wine with a view of where it's from." It's a blend of three varieties from a single vineyard, grown at 700m altitude: Merlot (59%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%), Cabernet Franc (9%) and Petit Verdot (2%). After rigorous selection in both vineyard and winery, small lots are vinified separately, with meticulous attention to detail and gentle extraction throughout. Each variety and lot is matured individually in French oak before bottling, unfined and unfiltered. 12.5% alcohol.

Suggested pairing: BBQ sirloin on the bone with truffle butter. Drinking window: 2025–2035+.

The Wine Front — 94 points (13 February 2025)
"Cherry, blackcurrant, pencil and cedar oak, tobacco, quite some perfume, with a seaweed and fern thing happening too. It's medium-bodied, again the pencil/graphite character, plush ripe black fruit, raspberry, ripe strawberry, bright ripe tomato acidity, fine pumice stone tannin, with a fresh finish of excellent length. There's a little vanilla nougat oak in the mix, but it sits well within the wine. Lovely wine."
Read the full review at The Wine Front