Grace Cuvée Misawa Rouge 2014

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 Rouge is a Bordeaux-variety blend from the Misawa estate vineyard in Akeno-cho — 700m altitude, clay volcanic soils. The 2014 is 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot. Grapes are hand-picked and undergo a double manual selection — bunches sorted in the vineyard, berries sorted again in the winery — before fermenting with two to four pigeages a day depending on the stage of fermentation. The wine was aged 20 months in French oak and bottled without fining or filtration. The exact blend composition shifts with each year's performance — in vintages where the weather doesn't cooperate, no wine is made at all.

The Wine Front — 95 points (29 April 2021)
"Cigar box, raspberry and red fruit, slip of mint and liquorice, but composed old school claret feel here, with lovely perfume. Delightful feel and regal carriage of flavour, fine grip and grain to tannin, finish is very fine and long too. Absolutely worthy expression of Cabernet."
Read the full review at The Wine Front