Coco Farm & Winery

2018 · Sparkling · Rose · 12.6%

Blend (Pinot Noir / Chardonnay)

Coco Farm's traditional-method sparkling rosé, made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown at Kimura Farm in Yoichi, Hokkaido. The base wine was made by Bruce Gutlove at 10R Winery and then transferred to Coco Farm & Winery, where students from Kokoromi Gakuen carried out the rest of the process, including hand-riddling each bottle. Extended less aging brings a fine mousse and layer of toasty, nutty complexity alongside strawberry, raspberry, and apple notes.

Blend of Pinot Noir (99%) and Chardonnay (1%) from Kimura Farm in Yoichi. Whole-bunch pressed. The free-run juice was lightly settled, then fermented in stainless steel tanks with wild yeast. Aged on the lees for over 78 months. Disgorged in December 2025.

2017 · Sparkling · White · 11.8%

100% Chardonnay

Kita no NOVO Blanc de Blancs is Coco Farm's flagship traditional-method sparkling wine, 100% Chardonnay drawn from estate plots in Ashikaga (Tochigi) and contract vineyards further north. The 2017 release is a brut bottling, fermented with native yeast and finished in the underground barrel cellar carved into the hillside above the winery. Coco Farm's slopes sit on Jurassic bedrock (clastic rocks, chert and basalt under shallow loam) at 50 to 200 meters, with 38-degree average vineyard inclines that demand every step be done by hand. The social mission of Kokoromi Gakuen, founded in 1969, runs through the operation, with residents working alongside permanent staff. 11.8% gives a low-alcohol, high-acid sparkling wine with a saline-citrus profile and the precision Coco Farm draws out of Japanese Chardonnay.

Chardonnay harvested in 2017 at the Kimura Farm in Yoichi, Hokkaido, fermented with wild yeast at 10R Winery then transported to Coco Farm Winery for secondary fermentation and aging. Aged on the lees for over 72 months.

2024 · Still · White · 12.4%

Blend (Muller-Thurgau / Kerner / Sauvignon Blanc and others)

'Noumin' (Farmer) is Coco Farm's honest everyday white, a wild-fermented dry wine from cool-climate grapes — a Germanic-leaning blend led by Müller-Thurgau and Kerner with Sauvignon Blanc and other varieties. Aromas of pear, cassis bud and lemongrass bring a fresh lift. On the palate, clean and dry, with gentle acidity and soft fruit. Herbs and citrus zest add a lively accent to the finish.

Destemmed and gently pressed. The juice settled overnight at cool temperature. Racked into stainless steel tanks the next day. Kept below 21°C (69.8°F) to preserve the aromatics. Fermented with wild yeast for about 3 weeks, then underwent natural malolactic fermentation. Co-fermented. Aged for 5–6 months in stainless steel tanks. Grapes: Müller-Thurgau, Kerner, Sauvignon Blanc, Bacchus, Chardonnay, Silvaner, Petit Manseng, and others.

2023 · Still · White · 12.3%

Pinot Gris

Part of Coco Farm's acclaimed collaboration with Bruce Gutlove's 10R winery in Hokkaido, this is 100% Pinot Gris from Kimura and Nakagawa Farms in Yoichi. Whole-bunch pressed and wild-fermented in stainless steel tanks. Grapefruit, citrus and pear meet honey and dried hay, with fresh acidity and a gently toasty, faintly bitter finish.

Gently pressed. Fermented with wild yeast in stainless steel tanks. Aged on the lees for 15 months in stainless steel tanks.

2023 · Still · Orange · 11%

Koshu

F.O.S. — 'Fermented On Skins' — was first made in 2004 to highlight the distinctive character of Koshu through skin fermentation. Inspired by wines encountered in Friuli, Jura, and Georgia, Coco Farm has continued to evolve F.O.S. through experimentation each vintage. The similarity between Koshu and Georgia's Rkatsiteli eventually led them to ferment the wine in custom-made Mashiko-yaki clay vessels from Tochigi. Bright amber in the glass, with persimmon, yellow peach and mandarin over black tea, clove and toast, with gently acidity, soft umami and a long, savory finish.

Three lots vilified separately and blended later. The first underwent overnight skin contact, then pressed and fermented in stainless steel tanks with wild yeasts for about two weeks. The second was destemmed and fermented on the skins in Mashiko-yaki clay vessels for one week and pressed. The third was destemmed with 5% dried grapes added and fermented on the skins in Mashiko-yaki clay vessels for about one month, then pressed. All lots underwent malolactic fermentation. Aged for 8-9 months in barrels and resin tanks.

2022 · Still · Rose · 11.7%

98% Pinot Noir 2% Zweigelt

Pinot Noir from Kimura Farm and Zweigelt from Konishi Farm in Yoichi, Hokkaido. Carbonic Maceration takes place for 6 weeks. Fermentation in Stainless steel (50%), French oak (25%) and Cement tank (25%) with wild yeast at 10R winery.

Pinot Noir from Kimura Farm and Zweigelt from Konishi Farm in Yoichi, Hokkaido. Carbonic Maceration takes place for 6 weeks. Fermentation in Stainless steel (50%), French oak (25%) and Cement tank (25%) with wild yeast at 10R winery.

NV · Still · Rose · 11.9%

28% Merlot 13% Kerner 12% Chardonnay 11% Cabernet Sauvignon 10% Muscat Bailey A 6% Petit Manseng 5% Shokoshi

Coco Farm & Winery sits on Jurassic-bedrock hillsides in Ashikaga, Tochigi, with average vineyard slopes of 38 degrees (up to 45) that force every operation by hand. The estate began in 1958 as a vineyard tended by students of the Kokoromi Gakuen welfare facility under teacher Noboru Kawada; the winery license came in 1984 and the social mission still runs through every step of farm and cellar. Coco Rose is the house non-vintage rosé, a pale, savory blend pulling from across the estate's planting (Merlot, Kerner, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Muscat Bailey A, Petit Manseng and Shokoshi). All grapes are 100% Japan-grown; no herbicides or chemical fertilizers in the vineyards; native yeast in the cellar. The result is a versatile Japanese rosé with quiet acidity, a touch of grip, and a register more Mediterranean than blush. 11.9% alcohol.

100% Japan-grown grapes from estate plots and contract growers; no herbicides or chemical fertilizers in the vineyards. Wild-yeast fermentation throughout. All vineyard work done by hand on slopes averaging 38 degrees, up to 45.

2024 · Still · Red · 11.8%

Blend (Merlot/ Muscat Bailey A / Cabernet Sauvignon and others)

The red in Coco Farm's approachable 'Noumin' range is a wild-fermented blend of Merlot, Muscat Bailey A, Cabernet Sauvignon and other varieties with a touch of carbonic maceration. Aromas of raspberry, strawberry and blueberry, with green pepper, and notes of licorice and cacao. Light, fresh and juicy, with very gentle tannins.

Ripe grapes are hand-sorted, keeping only the best bunches. A portion undergoes carbonic maceration, and the rest is destemmed and lightly crushed. Maceration for about 10 days in stainless steel tanks, then pressed. Transferred to oak barrels and stainless steel tanks for natural malolactic fermentation. Aged for about 5–6 months in oak barrels, oak vats, and stainless steel tanks. Grapes: Merlot, Muscat Bailey A, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat, Pinot Noir, Koshu, Zweigelt, Black Queen, and Cabernet Franc.

2022 · Still · Red · 14%

100% Pinot Noir

Coco Farm & Winery sits on Jurassic-bedrock hillsides in Ashikaga, Tochigi, with average vineyard slopes of 38 degrees that force every operation by hand. The estate began in 1958 as a vineyard tended by students of the Kokoromi Gakuen welfare facility under teacher Noboru Kawada; the social mission still runs through every step of farm and cellar today. The Pinot Noir is sourced from estate plots where ripening pushes hard in the Tochigi summer, and the 14% alcohol on this 2022 release reflects the climate rather than any cellar push. Wild-yeast fermentation, no herbicides or chemical fertilizers in the vineyards, all hand-work given the slope. Underground barrel cellar carved into the hillside for élevage. The result is a dense, sun-warmed Japanese Pinot Noir with genuine grip, closer to a Carneros or southern-Burgundy register than a cool-climate one.

Pinot Noir harvested at the Kimura Farm in Hokkaido, fermented with wild yeast at 10R Winery. 95% of the grapes were destemmed, while the remaining 5% was kept as whole bunches and placed into tanks. Fermentation proceeded slowly at low temperatures with wild yeasts over an extended period. After gentle pressing, 10% of the wine was transferred into new French oak barrels.

2022 · Still · Red · 12.1%

Zweigelt

From the 10R collaboration with Bruce Gutlove in Hokkaido, a 100% Zweigelt grown in Yoichi and wild-fermented in the cool north. Aromas of cassis and black cherry. Complex and layered with cinnamon, licorice and oak. Soft mouthfeel with fruit, umami and velvety tannins. Medium-bodied and well-structured, with the peppery nuance characteristic of Hokkaido Zweigelt.

Grapes from Konishi and Nakagawa farms in Yoichi, Hokkaido. Lightly destemmed and fermented with wild yeast. Maceration for about 3 weeks. The wine was aged for 14 months in small barrels — used American oak (20%), new French oak (10%), and used French oak (70%).