Domaine Takahiko Yoichi Nobori Nakai Blanc 2020 750ml

Domaine Takahiko is the most sought-after name in Japanese wine. Takahiko Soga planted his vines in Yoichi, Hokkaido in 2010 after years at his family's Obuse Winery in Nagano, and set out to make a single wine — Pinot Noir, farmed without chemicals, fermented whole-cluster with wild yeast and nothing added — in the spirit of the Burgundian growers he admires. Production is minuscule, the domaine sells almost nothing directly, and a bottle of Takahiko has become one of the hardest allocations in the country.

Yoichi Nobori is Soga's second label, made from grapes grown by fellow Yoichi farmers he works alongside, vinified in the same hands-off way as the domaine wines. Nakai Blanc is the white of this series, from grower Nakai's vineyard in Yoichi — a dry, delicately aromatic white with the cool-climate tension and quiet texture that mark everything from Soga's cellar. The 2020 is now five years on and drinking well.

Vintage: 2020
Cuvée: Yoichi Nobori Nakai Blanc
Producer: Domaine Takahiko (Takahiko Soga)
Region: Yoichi, Hokkaido, Japan
Grape: Yoichi white blend
ABV: 11.5%
Volume: 750ml