2018 Koyama Waipara Pinot Noir, Waipara Valley

When Takahiro Koyama, owner winemaker of Koyama Wines came to New Zealand in 2003, it was to study Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University. He was offered to work with CP Lin at Mountford Estate as a cellar hand while he was a student at Lincoln.

After started working at Mountford, he went overseas several times to experience different winemaking.  First it was Weingut (winery) Keller in Rheinhessen, Germany in 2006 (Riesling) and then it was Au Bon Climat in Central Coast California in 2007 and 2008 (Pinot Noir/Chardonnay plus other varieties) .

When he graduated from Lincoln in 2006 he became assistant winemaker at Mountford.  In 2009, as he continued working at Mountford, he started to make his own wine and established Koyama Wines Limited.  Grapes for Koyama Wines came from three local growers’ vineyards namely Williams’ (Pinot Noir), Pearson’s (Pinot Noir) and Tussock Terrace (Riesling).

In 2017 with investment from Japan, Koyama Wines Limited purchased Mountford Estate and now all Koyama wines are produced at Mountford except for Riesling Sparkling Brut and Brut Nature which were added to the list in 2018.