Producer Article
Le Bois d'Azur
Last edited on 7/6/2026 by LindsayM
This is the only version of this article / View version history
Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
Founded in 2020 on the quiet slopes of Mount Tsukuba, Le Bois d'Azur is guided by a simple, poetic ambition: to craft wines that will still feel at home in this landscape 100 years from now. Farming is thoughtful and restrained, without chemical fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides, allowing the vines to root deeply and express their place with clarity.
In the cellar, nothing is forced. Fermentations rely solely on indigenous yeasts, with no fining, filtration or added sulphur. Time in barrel allows the wines to settle and reveal themselves slowly, shaped as much by patience as by hand.
The driving force behind the domaine is Makoto Aoki, a winemaker of rare pedigree. He trained in Beaune before working alongside respected natural producers including Domaine Petit-Roy and, most notably, Domaine des Miroirs, the celebrated Jura estate of Kenjiro Kagami, whose wines are among the most sought-after in the natural wine world. Aoki absorbed that philosophy of radical precision and minimal intervention before returning to Japan to establish Le Bois d'Azur. The influence is unmistakable in every bottle.
Founded in 2020 on the quiet slopes of Mount Tsukuba, Le Bois d'Azur is guided by a simple, poetic ambition: to craft wines that will still feel at home in this landscape 100 years from now. Farming is thoughtful and restrained, without chemical fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides, allowing the vines to root deeply and express their place with clarity.
In the cellar, nothing is forced. Fermentations rely solely on indigenous yeasts, with no fining, filtration or added sulphur. Time in barrel allows the wines to settle and reveal themselves slowly, shaped as much by patience as by hand.
The driving force behind the domaine is Makoto Aoki, a winemaker of rare pedigree. He trained in Beaune before working alongside respected natural producers including Domaine Petit-Roy and, most notably, Domaine des Miroirs, the celebrated Jura estate of Kenjiro Kagami, whose wines are among the most sought-after in the natural wine world. Aoki absorbed that philosophy of radical precision and minimal intervention before returning to Japan to establish Le Bois d'Azur. The influence is unmistakable in every bottle.