About Gaku Pinot Noir
- Style
- Red
- Grape Varieties
- Pinot Noir
- Price Range
- ¥5,500-6,500
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.
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.
New to wine?
A rare, delicate taste of Japan's earliest foreign-led Pinot Noir experiment — light-bodied and gently savory rather than fruit-forward.
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.
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.
About the producer
de Montille & HokkaidoJapan'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.函館市, 北海道 · Founded 2016Visit the producer page →More wines from de Montille & Hokkaido
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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