About Makioka Muscat Bailey A Barrel Selection
- Style
- Red
- Grape Varieties
- Muscat Bailey A
- Price Range
- Discontinued -- released only in the 2015 and 2016 vintages as a very limited run (about 260-275 bottles each), now sold out with no listed retail price.
Makioka Muscat Bailey A Barrel Selection is a limited-production red wine from Hombo Shuzo's Château Mars Prestige range, made from 100% Muscat Bailey A grapes grown in the Makioka district of Yamanashi City -- a steep hillside terroir on the northeastern rim of the Kofu Basin, roughly 700m in elevation, with clay-rich soil full of large stones. Long sunshine hours and a wide diurnal temperature swing give Makioka fruit notably high acidity and a pronounced mineral character, distinguishing it from the winery's Hosaka-grown Muscat Bailey A bottlings (Hosaka Muscat Bailey A Barrel Aged, Cold Maceration and Private Reserve). After barrel aging, only the finest barrels were hand-selected for bottling as this special cuvée. Both bottled vintages (2015 and 2016) were released in very small numbers (around 260-275 bottles each) and are now sold out.
The clearest proof that Muscat Bailey A is a terroir grape, not just a technique grape -- Makioka's high-acid, mineral-driven fruit gives this barrel selection a tension you won't find in the winery's Hosaka bottlings.
New to wine?
A rare, barrel-selected expression of Japan's signature red grape -- a good pick if you want to taste how terroir (Makioka vs. Hosaka) changes Muscat Bailey A.
Food Pairings
Medium-bodied and oak-accented, it pairs well with grilled red meats, yakitori with tare sauce, and simmered dishes that echo its savory, earthy fruit character.
When to drink it
Special-occasion dinners featuring grilled or simmered meats
Terroir & Winemaking
Grapes: 100% Muscat Bailey A grown in Makioka, Yamanashi City (elevation ~700m, clay soil with large stones, on the slopes overlooking the Fuefuki River). Ingredients: grapes (Makioka-grown) / antioxidant (sulfites). Barrel-aged, with only select barrels bottled under this cuvée. Bottled vintages: 2016 (13% ABV, 261 bottles) and 2015 (12% ABV, 273 bottles), both 750ml, both now discontinued/sold out.
About the producer
Mars Yamanashi WineryOver 60 years crafting Yamanashi's Chateau Mars wines笛吹市, 山梨県 · Founded 1960Visit the producer page →More wines from Mars Yamanashi Winery
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What grape is Makioka Muscat Bailey A Barrel Selection made from?
- It is made from 100% Muscat Bailey A grown in the Makioka district of Yamanashi City, part of Mars Yamanashi Winery's contract-grower network.
- How is it different from the winery's Hosaka Muscat Bailey A wines?
- It uses grapes from Makioka, a steep, clay-rich hillside terroir with high acidity and strong minerality, rather than Hosaka, giving it a more tense, mineral-driven profile than the Hosaka-grown Muscat Bailey A bottlings.
- Is this wine still available to buy?
- No. Only two vintages were ever bottled (2015 and 2016), each in a run of roughly 260-275 bottles, and both are now discontinued and sold out.
- What does 'Barrel Selection' mean for this wine?
- After the wine was aged in oak barrels, only the best-performing barrels were hand-selected and blended for bottling under this special cuvée name.
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