About this wine
Tap-Kop Pinot Noir is Kondo Vineyard's premier red, made from Pinot Noir grown at the Tap-Kop farm in Mikasa (60%) and the Moseushi farm in Iwamizawa's Kurisawa district (40%). The wine showcases the cool-climate character of Sorachi with vivid red berry fruit, a perfumed nose of red fruits and spice, and an elegantly structured palate. In its youth it displays bright red cherry and raspberry, with clove and pepper notes emerging on the finish. With further aging (peak expected 2026–2032 from the 2021 vintage), deep forest floor, mushroom, and spice complexity develop.
If you enjoy lighter-bodied red wines like Burgundy or New Zealand Pinot Noir, Tap-Kop Pinot Noir offers similar elegance and red-fruit freshness with a distinctly Japanese cool-climate character.
Sommelier's Note
"This is a textbook cool-climate Pinot Noir: precise red-fruit aromatics, silky tannins, and a minerally finish that speaks clearly of Sorachi's volcanic and alluvial soils. Rivals entry-level Burgundy in its freshness and elegance. Decant briefly if drinking young."
Food Pairings
Jingiskan (Hokkaido grilled lamb); roasted duck; Hokkaido venison or wild boar dishes; mushroom risotto; aged Hokkaido cheese; light salmon dishes (cold-smoked or cured).
When to drink it
Autumn dinner with mushroom or game dishes; Japanese izakaya with yakitori; wine enthusiast gift
Specs
- Grape Varieties
- Pinot Noir
- Style
- Red, dry
- Price Range
- Around ¥3,500–¥4,000 (cellar-door price)
Terroir & Winemaking
100% Pinot Noir from Tap-Kop (Mikasa, 60%) and Moseushi (Iwamizawa, 40%) parcels, hand-harvested by parcel/clone over several days with careful sorting for botrytis. Whole berries are hand-destemmed over a screen (no mechanical destemmer) and fermented in plastic tanks via roughly 2 weeks of semi-carbonic maceration driven by naturally occurring CO2 and wild yeasts, with gradual pigeage before pressing. Aged about 8 months in a mix of 225L used barriques and 600L foudres; only a limited selection of the best barrels/casks is bottled under the Tap-Kop label. No synthetic pesticides or fertilizers in the vineyard; minimal-intervention vinification at Kurisawa Wines.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When is the best time to drink Tap-Kop Pinot Noir?
- Young (1–3 years from vintage) it shows exuberant red berry fruit and spice. The sweet spot for the 2021 vintage is expected between 2026 and 2032, when the acidity softens and layers of earthiness and complexity emerge.
- What temperature should I serve Tap-Kop Pinot Noir?
- Serve at 14–16°C. If drinking young, a brief decant (20–30 minutes) will help open up the aromatics.
- Is this wine made with natural or minimal-intervention methods?
- Yes. Kondo Vineyard uses no synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, or herbicides in the vineyard, and Kurisawa Wines uses minimal intervention in the cellar. Sulphur additions, if any, are minimal.
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Talk to the SommelierMore wines from this producer
タプ・コプ ブラン
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WhitedrySauvignon Blanc · Kerner · Gewürztraminer · Riesling · Chardonnay
Tap-Kop Blanc is an aromatic dry white wine sourced from Kondo Vineyard's Tap-Kop farm in Mikasa, Hokkaido. The wine is a blend of aromatic white varieties — primarily Sauvignon Blanc, Kerner, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, and Chardonnay — harvested from cool-climate vines farmed without synthetic chemicals. Pressed slowly and fermented in large wooden tanks and stainless-steel barrels, it captures the vivid freshness of the Sorachi appellation. The wine rewards 1–2 years of cellaring to develop complexity while retaining its characteristic bright acidity.
タプ・コプ レンベルガー
Tap-Kop Lemberger
ReddryLemberger
Tap-Kop Lemberger is a red wine made from Lemberger (Blaufränkisch) grown at Kondo Vineyard's Tap-Kop farm in Mikasa, Hokkaido. Lemberger is a rare variety in Japan, and Kondo's cool-climate version brings out the variety's characteristic freshness, spice, and dark fruit profile. The wine exemplifies the estate's minimal-intervention philosophy.
コンコン クヴェヴリ
Konkon Kvevri
orangeamberdryPinot Gris · Auxerrois · Chardonnay · Sauvignon Blanc · Gewürztraminer · Kerner · Sylvaner · Riesling
Konkon Kvevri is Kondo Vineyard's most distinctive wine and Japan's most celebrated example of qvevri-style winemaking. It is a field blend of up to eight white varieties — Pinot Gris, Auxerrois, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Kerner, Sylvaner, and Riesling — drawn 56% from the Tap-Kop farm (Mikasa) and 44% from the Moseushi farm (Iwamizawa). Grapes are harvested together from the mixed-planted parcels and fermented with skins and seeds in buried Georgian qvevri vessels (600L+) as well as local Hokkaido earthenware made by potter Futoshi Nakamura of Shari Kiln. The wine spends approximately six months in qvevri before moving to oak barrels for five more months. In its youth, aromas of black tea, kumquat, and fresh herbs appear; with time, rose, ginger, clove, and sandalwood emerge, and the wine deepens into an amber profile of extraordinary complexity. Production is extremely limited.