Domaine Takahiko Nana-Tsu-Mori Hokkaido Pinot Noir 2024

This is one of the rarest unicorn wines produced in Asia, featured on top Michelin lists. It provides an unforgettable tasting experience.

Pale and luminous in the glass, this elegant Pinot Noir is a study in restraint, offering bright red and dark cherry, crunchy wild berries and delicate blue-fruit aromas layered with forest floor, fresh mushrooms and fragrant herbs. The palate is silky and finely detailed, with hints of white pepper, subtle earthy minerality and a touch of stemmy savoriness. Vibrant acidity and featherlight tannins keep everything fresh and lifted, leading to a long, graceful finish that captures the quiet precision of Hokkaido’s cool climate.

Made from 100% Pinot Noir, Nana-Tsu-Mori comes from a 4.6-hectare vineyard planted in 2010 on dark, sandy soils over volcanic andesite gravel at approximately 60 meters above sea level. The vineyard incorporates 13 Pinot Noir clones sourced from France, Germany and Switzerland, contributing depth and complexity to the finished wine. The grapes are hand-harvested and fermented as whole clusters in large, neutral food-grade resin tanks, followed by more than a year of aging in French oak barrels, around 15% of which are new. Bottled without fining or filtration, with sulfur used sparingly, the wine emphasizes purity of fruit, delicate structure and a vivid sense of place.

Domaine Takahiko was founded by Takahiko Soga, one of Japan’s most celebrated natural winemakers, whose work has helped establish Hokkaido as a compelling destination for cool-climate Pinot Noir. Inspired by Burgundy but guided by a distinctly Japanese sensibility, Soga takes a meticulous, low-intervention approach that allows the character of each vineyard to shine. Nana-Tsu-Mori, named for the “Seven Forests” vineyard, is his flagship Pinot Noir and has earned an almost mythical following among collectors and acclaimed restaurants around the world. Produced in tiny quantities, it is a remarkable expression of elegance, individuality and the unique landscape of northern Japan.