Grace Koshu Toriibira Vineyard Private Reserve 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 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.

The Toriibira district is greatly treasured by fourth-generation owner Shigekazu Misawa. It has a long history, sits at an altitude of 450m, and is revered locally for its well-drained gravelly soil, which produces grapes of real quality. The harvested fruit goes through a further selection, with the best lots fermented in old French oak barrels and matured in stainless steel tanks — unlike Grace's other whites, aside from the Chardonnay, which see no oak at all. The result is a wine of elegant acidity and complexity, with a long finish.

The Wine Front — 94+ points (8 December 2022)
"White peach, stony, fennel, a little spice, coconut milk. Fine, tight, fine chalk dust/crushed rock texture, subdued and closed in to an extent, cinnamon and stonefruit, with a long cool finish. Needs a bit of air or another year in bottle. Excellent."
Read the full review at The Wine Front