Grace Cuvee Misawa Blanc 2023

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 strong history of innovation, becoming one of the first in the country to introduce Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP) in 1990 to improve grape quality. It remains family-run today, led by winemaker Ayana Misawa, Chotaro's great-great-granddaughter, and is considered a benchmark for quality in Japanese winemaking — balancing traditional craftsmanship with progressive technique to express the unique terroir of the region.

Cuvée Misawa Blanc is Grace's flagship single-vineyard Chardonnay, sourced from the Misawa Vineyard in the Akeno district — a cool-climate site at 700m altitude, oriented north-south so wind moves through it year-round. Of the vineyard's three Chardonnay parcels, only fruit from the sections with the best air circulation is selected, with yields strictly controlled at 40 hl/ha or less. Grapes are hand-picked, carried in small 10kg crates to minimise damage, and harvested only once they've turned golden and reached full maturity. After a gentle whole-bunch press, the wine is fermented and matured mostly in old French oak barrels.

The wine's history dates back to the 1990s, when Grace first planted a small Chardonnay plot in the hills of Katsunuma. Winemaker Shigekazu Misawa has described being struck by the richness, complexity and ageing potential of the earliest vintages (1996 and 1997) — a discovery that shaped the winery's continued commitment to the variety, now carried on through the Misawa Vineyard in Akeno. It's a genuinely tiny production: some vintages, like 2021, yielded only three barrels total, made in a growing season the winery has described as one where "valuing the basics was paramount."

March to May brought near-perfect conditions, with just the right balance of rainfall and sunshine leading to an early, well-formed budburst. The rainy season wrapped up earlier than usual, with véraison beginning as early as late July, followed by a run of steady, healthy weather. A summer heatwave brought record temperatures across Japan, but Yamanashi saw minimal rainfall, allowing ripening to progress cleanly with no typhoon disruption. At the 700m Misawa Vineyard, the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested around two weeks earlier than usual, on 22 October, with Koshu picked last. Sugar levels across both early- and late-ripening varieties came in more than a full degree above average, delivering exceptional ripeness rarely seen at this site — 2023 is shaping up as a genuine "great vintage" with real long-term ageing potential.

The Wine Front — 96 points (22 January 2026)
"White fruit, light struck match, hazelnut, fresh mint, a little spice. Very fine wine here, classy, a crunch to acidity, flinty texture, some nutty flavours in the mix lend a savoury flourish and a little glossiness, closing with excellent length and a dash of citrus on the finish. A beautiful expression of Chardonnay."
Read the full review at The Wine Front