Domaine Hase

ドメーヌ長谷

Nagano, Chikumagawa Valley, Japan

Domaine Hase (operating as Hikaru Farm Co., Ltd.) is a small, family-run natural winery founded in 2017 by Mitsuhiro Hase in the Fukuihara district of Takayama Village, northern Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Situated at 800–850 meters above sea level with views of the Hokushin Gogaku mountain range, the estate encompasses approximately 7 hectares, of which around 5 hectares are planted to vines. Mitsuhiro, a former major-label music industry executive, trained at New Zealand's Black Estate and Japan's Arc-en-Vigne academy before establishing one of Nagano's most acclaimed natural wine domaines.

Winemaking Philosophy

Domaine Hase's guiding ethos is that 'great wine comes from the landscape' (美味しいワインは風景から). Mitsuhiro believes only grapes with high potential — those that genuinely match and reflect their terroir — can yield wines that resonate without chaptalization, acidification, or other interventions. Fermentation relies exclusively on wild yeasts with minimal SO₂ (15–40 ppm) only at bottling. The aim is to produce 'simple wines' that maximize the natural power of the grapes and resonate with the heart the same way the sweeping landscape of Fukuihara does.

At a Glance

2017

Founded

5 ha

Hectares

Region

Nagano, Chikumagawa Valley, Japan

Grapes

Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Muscat Bailey A, Riesling +3 more

Farming

Organic farming without synthetic inputs, GAP certified since January 2020.

Harvest

Mixed early- and late-ripening varieties harvested together achieve natural sugar-acid balance without intervention..

On the map

Domaine Hase — Chikumagawa Valley, Nagano

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Available Now (2)

Hikaru Blanc

2023 · Still · White · 11.5%

Chardonnay Riesling Kerner Gewurztraminer Sauvignon Blanc

Mitsuhiro Hase quit a 20-year career at a Japanese record label in 2015, studied at Arc-en-Vigne (Japan's first private wine academy), and founded Hikaru Farm / Domaine Hase in 2017 in Takayama Village, Nagano. The estate sits at 800 to 850 meters on volcanic Andosol soils (70 to 80 cm of black humus over volcanic ash), with vines on east-facing slopes for the Burgundian varieties and north-west slopes for the German ones. Hikaru Blanc is the field-blend white, co-fermenting the full set of planted whites (Chardonnay, Riesling, Kerner, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc) so that natural balance comes from the vineyard rather than the cellar. No added sugar or acid, native yeasts, minimal SO2 at fermentation only. 11.5% alcohol; high-altitude, brisk, characterful Nagano white.

Co-fermentated in stainless steel tanks.

Clairet

NV · Still · Red · 11%

Blend (Chardonnay / Muscat Bailey A / Pinot Noir / Cabernet Franc)

From Mitsuhiro Hase's small organic estate in Fukuihara, high in Nagano's Chikumagawa Valley, this multi-vintage 'Fukuihara Claret' is a dark rosé / light red blend of wild-fermented Chardonnay, Muscat Bailey A, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. Pomegranate on the nose leads into a striking, savory tomato-umami character and a whisper of salinity — remarkably smooth, and made for the table (think Neapolitan pizza).

This is a multiple vintage cuvée. Red varieties make up about 60% of the overall blend. Chardonnay (with some Pinot Noir) was macerated and aged in stainless steel barrels, alongside a cuvée of botrytized grapes. Muscat Bailey A, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir underwent carbonic maceration and 10 months of aging in French and Hungarian oak barrels. Another Muscat Bailey A was whole-cluster fermented and aged 10 months in barrel.