de Montille & Hokkaido
ド・モンティーユ＆北海道
Japan's first foreign-invested winery: Etienne de Montille of Burgundy brings 300 years of terroir mastery to Hakodate's volcanic hills — earning a JWA 4-star in just its first years of estate production.
de Montille & Hokkaido is Japan's first foreign-owned vineyard project, launched in 2016 by Etienne de Montille — current owner of the legendary 300-year-old Domaine de Montille in Burgundy. After visiting Japanese wine regions and consulting meteorologists, geologists, and soil scientists from Burgundy University, Etienne chose Hakodate in southern Hokkaido for its cool climate, volcanic soils, low winter snowfall, and long summer sunshine hours closely resembling Burgundy. Vine planting began in the Kikyo district of Hakodate in 2019, with 7 hectares in operation and plans to expand to 25 hectares. Between 2018 and 2022, the project produced small quantities of wine from Yoichi-area growers in partnership with Coco Farm and Bruce Gutlove (10R Winery) under a five-vintage learning series — each labelled with a single kanji character reflecting the knowledge gained each year: 豪 (2018), 驚 (2019), 學 (2020), 理 (2021), 探 (2022). The first vintage from the estate vineyard was produced in 2023 (label: 望 Nozomi meaning hope), coinciding with completion of the Hakodate winery. The winery was inaugurated on 26 July 2024. The project gained Japan Winery Award 4-star recognition in 2025.
www.demontille-hokkaido.com ↗Cuvées
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Who Is This For?
Fine wine lovers seeking Japan's most prestigious and internationally credentialed producer; Burgundy enthusiasts curious how Pinot Noir and Chardonnay translate to a Japanese volcanic terroir; collectors drawn to limited-production pioneer bottles from a historically significant Franco-Japanese collaboration.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is Etienne de Montille and why does this winery matter?
- Etienne de Montille is the current owner of Domaine de Montille, a 300-year-old Burgundy estate celebrated for its low-yield, natural winemaking philosophy. His decision to establish the first foreign-owned vineyard in Japan — and to choose Hokkaido over Yamanashi and Nagano — was seen as a landmark vote of confidence in Japanese wine's global potential.
- Why did de Montille choose Hokkaido, and specifically Hakodate?
- After a 2015 visit to Japan left him moved by the resilience and humility of local winemakers, Etienne commissioned a team of Burgundy University meteorologists, geologists, and soil scientists to survey Japan's wine regions. They concluded that Hakodate's Kikyo district — with its cool climate, volcanic hillside soils, low winter snowfall, and long summer sunshine — offered the closest conditions to Burgundy for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Hakodate's milder winters compared to Yoichi also reduced frost risk.
- What is the five-vintage learning series with kanji labels?
- From 2018 to 2022, before the estate vineyard came into production, de Montille & Hokkaido sourced Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Kerner grapes from Yoichi-area growers and vinified them at Coco Farm and 10R Winery (with Bruce Gutlove). Each vintage carried a single kanji: 豪 (2018 / Grandeur), 驚 (2019 / Surprise), 學 (2020 / Learn), 理 (2021 / Comprendre), 探 (2022 / Recherche). The series represents a deliberate five-year study of Hokkaido's terroir before committing to estate production.
- What grapes does de Montille & Hokkaido grow?
- The estate vineyard in Hakodate's Kikyo district focuses on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay — the two Burgundian varietals Etienne de Montille is most fluent in. During the learning-series phase (2018-2022), they also worked with Kerner, a Hokkaido specialty, sourced from Yoichi growers.
- What is the 望 Nozomi wine?
- 望 means hope or aspiration in Japanese. It is the label given to the 2023 vintage, which is the first wine produced entirely from the estate's own Hakodate vineyard. It marks the transition from the learning phase to the estate phase, and was released the same year the Hakodate winery facility was completed.