About this wine
Gaku is the 2020 vintage in de Montille & Hokkaido's five-year 'learning series' (2018-2022), each year named with a single kanji character reflecting the lesson learned that season. Gaku (學, meaning 'to study/learn') was produced from 100% Pinot Noir grapes grown by growers in Yoichi, Hokkaido, in partnership with Coco Farm & Winery and winemaker Bruce Gutlove of 10R Winery, before de Montille & Hokkaido's own Hakodate estate vineyard came into production in 2023. It shows the delicate, cool-climate character the project was chasing: pale garnet color, fresh red berries (raspberry, strawberry), peony florals, and a savory, autumnal undertone of root spice, wood smoke, pickled cherry and mushroom, carried by fine, veil-like tannins.
A rare, delicate taste of Japan's earliest foreign-led Pinot Noir experiment — light-bodied and gently savory rather than fruit-forward.
Sommelier's Note
"Gaku is a time capsule: proof that Etienne de Montille's Burgundian instincts could coax something genuinely Japanese out of borrowed Yoichi fruit, years before his own Hakodate vines bore a single grape."
Food Pairings
Its delicate weight and savory, mushroom-forward undertones favor dishes that won't overpower the fruit: roast chicken or duck, grilled salmon, and mushroom-based dishes like risotto or consomme.
When to drink it
A collector's bottle for a quiet dinner with fellow Japanese-wine enthusiasts, or a vertical tasting alongside the other four kanji vintages.
Specs
- Grape Varieties
- Pinot Noir
- Style
- Red
- Vintage
- 2020
- Price Range
- ¥5,500-6,500
Terroir & Winemaking
100% Pinot Noir sourced from Yoichi-area growers (not the Hakodate estate vineyard, which had not yet come into production). Vinified in collaboration with Coco Farm & Winery and Bruce Gutlove (10R Winery) under Etienne de Montille's Burgundian-influenced approach: gentle extraction and elevage aimed at preserving the grape's cool-climate delicacy rather than imitating Burgundy.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What does 'Gaku' mean and why is it the wine's name?
- Gaku (學) means 'to study/learn'. It is one of five single-kanji vintage names (2018-2022) de Montille & Hokkaido used for its early Yoichi-sourced wines, each reflecting a lesson learned that vintage while the estate's own Hakodate vines were still too young to harvest.
- Where do the grapes for Gaku come from?
- The 2020 Gaku Pinot Noir was made from grapes grown by growers in Yoichi, Hokkaido, not from de Montille & Hokkaido's own Hakodate vineyard, which only began producing estate fruit in 2023.
- What does Gaku Pinot Noir taste like?
- It's a pale, delicate Pinot Noir with fresh raspberry and strawberry fruit, peony florals, and savory autumnal notes of root spice, wood smoke, pickled cherry and mushroom, finished with fine, veil-like tannins.
- Is Gaku still in production?
- No. Gaku was a one-off 2020 vintage within the 2018-2022 five-vintage learning series. Since 2023, de Montille & Hokkaido releases wines from its own Hakodate estate vineyard under the label 'Nozomi' (望).
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Talk to the SommelierMore wines from this producer
望
Nozomi
RedWhitePinot Noir · Chardonnay · Kerner
Nozomi (meaning 'hope') is the name given to de Montille & Hokkaido's 2023 vintage release, marking the historic transition from the project's five-year Yoichi-sourced learning series (Oser 2018, Surprise 2019, Learn 2020, Comprendre 2021, Explore 2022) to wines made from the estate's own Hakodate vineyard, the same year the Hakodate winery facility was completed. The 2023 Nozomi release comprises three wines: a Chardonnay made from 100% estate-grown Hakodate fruit (the project's first fully estate-grown release), a Pinot Noir blending roughly two-thirds Yoichi-grown grapes with estate fruit due to lower-than-expected estate yields, and a Kerner sourced from contracted Yoichi growers (Ani Farm). All three were vinified with native yeasts at the newly built Hakodate winery, reflecting Domaine de Montille's Burgundian philosophy of minimal intervention transplanted to Hokkaido's volcanic terroir.
探（サグル）ピノ・ノワール
Saguru Pinot Noir
RedPinot Noir
Saguru (探, meaning 'to explore' or 'to search') is the 2022 vintage in de Montille & Hokkaido's five-year 'learning series' (2018-2022) — the final release before the estate's own Hakodate vineyard came into production in 2023. Like its predecessors 豪 (Oser, 2018), 驚 (Surprise, 2019), 學 (Gaku, 2020) and 理 (Ri, 2021), Saguru was made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes purchased from contracted growers in Yoichi, Hokkaido, and vinified in partnership with Coco Farm & Winery and winemaker Bruce Gutlove of 10R Winery. The name reflects the project's stance at that stage: having accumulated four years of learning, the team still faced new challenges to explore before the Hakodate estate could stand on its own. The wine shows a light garnet color, fresh red fruit (raspberry, strawberry), peony florals and a whisper of white pepper spice, framed by fine-grained, veil-like tannins, savory earthy depth and a mineral, lingering finish — the delicate, cool-climate Burgundian style the de Montille family was chasing in Hokkaido.