The wine estate Kumamoto Wine Farm and Kikuka Winery is one of the best producers of Chardonnay wine from Japan. Kumamoto Wine Farm works in partnership with thirty winemakers (9 ha in total) to produce wine, more specifically 90% of Chardonnay.
The grapes are 100% produced in the city of Kikuka. The vineyards are located in a basin area offering an environment conducive to the cultivation of the vine: well ventilated, with more than 2,000 hours of sunshine a year and a good drainage thanks to the surface of the ground which contains a lot of mountain sand.
The plots are located at 100 to 200 meters altitudes. Although the ground is essentially flat, there are also terraced areas created by the rivers, and the region has some of the lowest water temperatures of Kumamoto Prefecture, which affects differences in temperature and creates the terroir.
The grapes are harvested by the end of August and mid-September, and the integrator of the grape compounds is controlled using a mechanical temperature control device. The production process consists of scratching and crushing the grapes and slowly squeeze the juice. While partner farmers cultivate their grapes using the VSP system, they adopted the pergola system for their own vineyard.
The fermentation tanks and the Kikuka Winery stainless steel pressure are compact as they produce wine in small batches for each type of grape. All alcoholic fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks. The fermentation temperature is 15 to 20 degrees Celsius. After the alcoholic fermentation, the wine is selected by sensory tests for each tank and then transferred to French oak barrels.
It is aged in barrels for about a year before being bottled. This Chardonnay is elegant and very aromatic, with high quality French oak shades and a lot of mature citrus like grapefruit and core fruit like apricot and fishing (white fishing and yellow fishing). It offers lively acidity and a strong minerality. The flavors are pleasantly concentrated with mature citrus like lemon with oil and bark. The oak aromas are very well integrated with notes of white spices and vanilla, grilled nuts, of beuure, which add to the complexity.
The final is persistent and quite long. The round and rich flavor gently covers the entire palace. The soft acidity gives it a firm structure, and it has a long persistent aftertaste that is powerful, but beautiful and elegant. The viscosity is strong and slightly aging. It is a classic style wooded Chardonnay, very well successful. It will be interesting to observe its evolution over the years in the cellar.
