When you pick up a glass of Kusuda Pinot Noir, you know you’re going to be transported elsewhere, and the 2019 is no different. It is an unadulterated, sumptuous expression of incredibly concentrated fruit within a Zen-like core. Having been hand-harvested and the berries sorted more meticulously than you can imagine, the wine speaks of minimal intervention, allowing for a seamless, intensely satisfying mouthful of savory Pinot. A small portion of whole clusters (10%) gives both precision and a distinctive herbal lift, alongside the ripe red berry fruit and the savory, smoky character that makes Martinborough Pinot so unique. This is a wine for connoisseurs who are not only willing to pay a premium but also understand that a slightly hazy wine (no fining, coarse filtration) is eminently drinkable now and over the coming decade.

Full (cork-stoppered) bottle 1,401 g. Hand-picked grapes, carefully sorted. 10% whole bunch. Aged for 16 months in French oak barriques (21% new) and bottled after a coarse filtration and no fining. Very pale garnet. Rich redcurrant fruit and just a hint of oak (?) on the nose. But very delicate overall with fine, refreshing acidity and fruit just ripe. Pure, fresh and more like a mouthwash than a wine. Really rather beautiful with a light suggestion of violets. Such a delicate hand on the tiller here. Easy to see that this hand is Japanese. Long. (JR)