Domaine Hase

Mitsuhiro Hase came to winemaking after a career in the music industry, working for a major Japanese record label. But after an inspirational wine tasting in Nagano in 2012, moonlighted in Nagano on the weekends to study wine. He ripped the band-aid off in 2014, and moved to Tomi, Nagano to join the inaugural class at the Chikumagawa Valley Wine Academy. After graduation, Hase-san sought out and discovered an available high altitude plot in nearby Takayama-mura (Takayama Village). At 800-850m, surrounded by the Fukuihara forest, he founded Domaine Hase underneath the summit of volcanic Mt. Shirane. It is ideal for both Alsatian and Japanese varieties and Hase-san has committed to farming the plot made up of dark volcanic ash, called andosols, without chemical sprays.  In the cellar, he opts for zero additions, outside of minimal sulfur at bottling, and holds back his wines in neutral barrel for years, if necessary, blending and releasing multiple vintages only when the wines are distinctive and ready to drink. The vineyard is a true wild-land, demonstrating that sometimes the most natural vineyards make the most dynamic wines. All of Hase-san’s wines share a delicate quality. There is intensity of flavor, bold fruit paired with subtle umami and an easy ephemerality.