2009 Beau
Paysage Tsugane La Montagne

BY NEAL MARTIN |&nbsp;OCTOBER 30, 2023Japan’s
wine industry might be in its infancy, but it’s expanding. In the past, I’ve
had experience with Japanese wines after judging competitions in Tokyo, though I
never encountered a bottle that obliged superlatives. I remain unconvinced
about the potential of their indigenous Koshu variety. Towards the end of a recent
meal, one of our attendees produced a magnum that I had never seen before,
never heard of. The 2009 Tsugane La Montagne from Beau Paysage
proved what is possible in Japan.

Proprietor
Eishi Okamoto farms around three hectares in the Yamanishi prefecture, the largest
of Japan’s wine regions, its commercial hub. Examining the back label, I find a
personal message from Okamoto, channeling his “inner Lennon”: “A glass of wine
can change the world.” The wine is 100% Merlot, organically farmed since planted
in the late Nineties, fruit de-stemmed by hand, basket pressed and fermented
with no temperature-control or sulphur, aged in oak barrels and bottled by
gravity, bottled un-fined and unfiltered. This is a very artisanal outfit,
ostensibly one winemaker on a personal voyage, meticulous in every stage of the
process. &nbsp;&nbsp;<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1698430711489-tsugane.JPG">I had
no idea what to expect. Pouring a glass, I was struck by the purity of fruit on
the nose: black plum, a touch of wild mint and iodine, much fresher than I so
often find elsewhere, displaying impressive focus and delineation. Fine tannins
frame the palate, and for a 14-year-old wine, the 2009 conveys plenty of
freshness and vitality. The oak is seamlessly subsumed. Smooth in texture with
just a touch of sapidity beckoning you back for another sip, this is a very
accomplished and, most importantly, delicious Merlot that could easily last
another 15 or 20 years. Stylistically, if I tasted it blind, I might place it
somewhere on the Right Bank rather than California. 

Okamoto’s
wines are very limited in production and nowadays highly sought after, with prices
around Y35,000 on the secondary market, north of $300 a bottle. Fortunately,
new releases are not extortionate, but they are snapped up in the blink of an
eye. If you visit Japan, keep a look out for Beau Paysage.

Can a
glass of wine really change the world? Well, maybe not. But it changed my
perspective on Japanese wines. 91/Drink 2023-2038.© 2023, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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