Community Tasting Note

forceberry wrote:

Thursday, January 20, 2022 - This Cuvée Kimihiko is a special bottling of Château Mercian's Koshu, as all the fruit is sourced from the vineyards located around the village of Ichikawamisato, in the southwestern end of the Yamanashi basin. 11,5% alcohol.

Youthful, very slightly hazy, pale grassy-green color. Rich, ripe and sweet-toned nose with quite complex aromas of fresh peach, waxy funk, some apple jam, a little bit of stewed herbs, light leesy notes, fruity hints of ripe quince and apricot purée and a touch of grassy herbal character. The wine is broad, somewhat concentrated and even slightly extracted, yet still wonderfully zippy, crisp and light-to-medium in body with intense flavors of tangy salinity, some sharp green apple tones, a little bit of waxy funk, light pastry notes of autolysis, a hint of stony minerality and a touch of chalky bitterness. The bright, high acidity lends great intensity and sense of structure to the wine. The finish is clean and crunchy with intense, dry flavors of chalky minerality, some tart green apple, a little bit of beeswax, light grassy green nuances, a hint of leesy autolysis and a sweeter touch of peach purée.

A surprisingly impressive and complex Koshu that is quite light and delicate, as is expected of the variety, yet showing great sense of focus, intensity and concentration for such a light white. This is not unlike a very high-quality Muscadet, but with a slightly different fruit profile that retains that subtly bitter undercurrent that seems to be one of the hallmarks of Koshu, complementing the sweeter fruit notes nicely. Although very drinkable already now, this will most likely to continue to improve for a handful of years more. Among the most intense and impressive wines we had in out 14-wine Koshu tasting. Terrific stuff!

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