Fukuihara Rose (Claret) MV

Written By Dennis Murphy

Although GI laws prohibit the term’s use, this wine is best understood as a clairet, a light red. The base wine is from 2024 and as it was a very hot, dry summer Hase-san blended ripe Muscat Bailey A and Zweigelt from his own vineyard s with Chardonnay grown by his neighbor Yoshizawa, along with a small quantity of 2022/2023 Chardonnnay (M.V. stands for “multi-vintage”).

Type: Dry, light-bodied, dark rosé or light red

Varieties: 70% Chardonnay (Yoshizawa- contract farmed), 25% Muscat Bailey A, 4% Zweigelt, 1% Pinot Noir (domaine)

  • Alcohol: 11.0%

  • Wild yeast

  • Sulfur: 20 ppm at bottling

  • Production: 2,750 bottles

Due to the multi-vintage, multi-varietal, multimodal composition of this cuvee, production notes won’t tell you much. A combination of shade-dried, barrel and stainless chardonnay from two years, stainless & barrel-aged reds from two years, are blended deftly for a surprisingly intentional and refreshing light red.

Dennis Murphy