Kido Private Reserve Meadows
城戸プライベートリザーブ メドウズ
Kido Winery
Merlot · Petit Verdot · Cabernet Franc
About this wine
Meadows is one of three long-aging cuvées in Kido Winery's ultra-limited Private Reserve tier, a Bordeaux-style blend of roughly 82% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc grown on vertically trellised, herbicide-free vines in Nagano's Kikyogahara appellation. Fermented with wild yeast and aged in oak barrels to build tannic structure, it is made in tiny volume and sold exclusively through Kido's summer lottery (acceptance rates for Private Reserve wines are often in the low single digits), making it one of the hardest Japanese wines to obtain. Vintages are built for cellaring, typically entering their drinking window two to three years after release.
An extremely rare, lottery-only Bordeaux blend from one of Japan's most acclaimed boutique producers — if you manage to win a bottle, it rewards a few years of patient cellaring.
Sommelier's Note
"Among the most sought-after Bordeaux-style blends made in Japan today — Meadows shows real structure and aging potential that few boutique Japanese reds can match, precisely because Kido keeps yields punishingly low."
Food Pairings
A structured Bordeaux blend that suits roasted or grilled red meats, duck, and aged hard cheeses. Its firm tannins and dark-fruit concentration also stand up well to umami-forward Japanese dishes such as sukiyaki, wagyu steak with soy-based sauces, or grilled unagi.
When to drink it
Best saved for special celebrations or a serious wine-tasting occasion, given its rarity and long-aging character.
Specs
- Grape Varieties
- Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc
- Style
- Red
- Price Range
- ¥6,800 (lottery release price, varies by vintage)
Terroir & Winemaking
Blend of approximately 82% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc from Kido's own vertically trellised, grass-cover, herbicide-free vineyard in Kikyogahara. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in oak barrels; alcohol typically around 13.5-14% by volume depending on vintage. Built for long-term aging, with recent vintages projected to enter their drinking window roughly two to three years after harvest.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What grape varieties make up Kido Private Reserve Meadows?
- It is a Bordeaux-style blend of roughly 82% Merlot, 13% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc.
- How can I buy Kido Private Reserve Meadows?
- It is sold only through Kido Winery's annual summer lottery; it is not available in retail stores, and acceptance rates for Private Reserve wines are often in the low single digits.
- When is the best time to drink it?
- Meadows is made for cellaring; recent vintages are expected to enter their drinking window roughly two to three years after release, and it continues to develop complexity for several years beyond that.
- What does Meadows taste like?
- Expect concentrated dark and red fruit (black cherry, blueberry, raspberry) layered with clove, nutmeg and oak-derived spice, framed by firm, well-integrated tannins.
- What is the ideal serving temperature?
- Serve at around 16-18°C, decanted for 30-60 minutes if the bottle is still young.
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Talk to the SommelierMore wines from this producer
城戸プライベートリザーブ ブリリアンス
Kido Private Reserve Brilliance
RedCabernet Sauvignon · Merlot · Petit Verdot
Kido Private Reserve Brilliance is the Bordeaux-variety flagship of Kido Winery's Private Reserve tier, grown in the Kikyogahara appellation of Shiojiri, Nagano. The blend is led by Cabernet Sauvignon (roughly 53-76% depending on vintage) with Merlot and Petit Verdot filling out the assemblage. Hand-harvested from the family's own vineyard and aged in oak, it shows blackcurrant, black cherry, rosemary, cigar box, and vanilla aromatics with silky, well-integrated tannins. Like all of Kido's wines it is sold only through a summer lottery, and Brilliance is consistently one of the hardest allocations to win.
城戸ワイナリー プライベートリザーブ ピノ・ノワール
Kido Private Reserve Pinot Noir
RedPinot Noir
Kido Winery's Private Reserve Pinot Noir is one of the most sought-after bottlings in Japan, produced in tiny volumes from the family's own vines on the Kikyogahara plateau (roughly 700m elevation) in Shiojiri, Nagano. Akihito Kido farms the fruit on vertical trellis with grass-cover, herbicide-free viticulture, and vinifies with a partial whole-cluster component (commonly cited around 30-40%, varying by vintage) to build savoury structure around the wine's naturally pale, cherry-red fruit. Independent critic notes on past vintages (2015 and 2017, both rated 92/100 by Jamie Goode) describe a sappy, herbal-edged cherry nose, fresh and elegant acidity, sweet strawberry and red cherry fruit, and a savoury, slightly earthy-spicy finish with light, grippy tannins. Pinot Noir is treated as the estate's most demanding, weather-sensitive wine; in some years (e.g. 2022) the Private Reserve Pinot Noir has been withheld entirely when the fruit did not reach the required quality. Like all Kido wines, it is sold almost exclusively via a highly competitive lottery on the winery's own site, making it one of the hardest Japanese wines to obtain at release price.
城戸プライベートリザーブ シャルドネ
Kido Private Reserve Chardonnay
WhiteChardonnay
Kido Private Reserve Chardonnay is the flagship white from Kido Winery, a tiny three-person family estate in Shiojiri's Kikyogahara appellation, Nagano. The Chardonnay is hand-farmed on trellis-trained (guyot), herbicide-free vines behind the winery, then barrel-fermented using a blend of roughly 85% wild and 15% cultured yeast and aged in French oak (around 50% new), a house technique Kido has used since 2006. The result is a full lemon-yellow wine with citrus, pear and pineapple fruit, toast, biscuit and baked-apple notes from the oak, balanced acidity and a long mineral finish; reviewers (Jancis Robinson, Jamie Goode) have praised it as very linear and precise with real ageing potential. Like all Kido wines it is sold almost exclusively via a strictly limited lottery (released around mid-to-late July), making it one of the hardest Japanese white wines to obtain.