I tiptoed across the cold, polished hardwood floors of the Kenzo Estate Guest House. It was 5:39 am. In the darkness just before daybreak, I carefully made my way toward the floor-to-ceiling glass doors leading to the upper deck overlooking the undulating hills of Napa Valley. Only at this ungodly pre-dawn hour would I be able to capture and experience the elusive Asatsuyu or morning dew.
I’d been invited as a guest to the coveted Kenzo Estate Winery in Napa Valley, owned by Kenzo Tsujimoto, CEO of Capcom, the video gaming giant headquartered in Tokyo. Puzzling. Why would the Japanese, masters of sake and beer brewing, venture into winemaking? What did they know about wines? And how does a vineyard owned by a video game tycoon with seemingly no prior experience in the wine industry expect to succeed in the competitive landscape of Napa Valley?
We drove up a narrow winding driveway bordered by golden maple trees ending at a security gate anchored by thick limestone walls. We announced our presence into the speakerphone. Seconds later, the heavy gates opened in grand style. As we parked and climbed out of the car, I couldn’t help but stare at the lone 3-story guest house standing majestically against the green horizon. The crisp fragrance of fall-foliage permeated the air.
Tsutomu “Tom” Tanaka, General Manager of the Estate greeted us with a wide smile, “Welcome to the Asatsuyu House.” We settled into his spacious living room with views of Napa Valley as Tom served us hot green tea and mochigashi pastries. Gazing out the window, I saw unending hills sprayed with rows of green vines. “This place is stunning, Tom. How did Kenzo ever come across this vineyard?”
Tom explained, “Kenzo Tsujimoto first discovered Napa Valley in the early 1990s and immediately fell in love with the area. He befriended key vineyard owners in the valley and spent almost a decade studying viticulture. In 2000, he purchased 4,000 acres of what used to be the Wild Horse Valley Ranch, an equestrian playground for the wealthy. When it came time to grow the grapes, he brought top wine experts in the Valley to run the business – David Abreu, Vineyard Manager and Heidi Barrett, Winemaker.”
I wondered out loud how the vineyard was doing given the competition in the Valley. Tom responded, “You see, Kenzo is eyeing the Japanese market. Though only a small percentage of Japanese drink wine, there is a growing interest in wines among young people especially with the popularity of the Yamanashi wine region.”
Later that afternoon, Tom took us for a walk through the Kenzo vineyard. I asked him about their Sauvignon Blanc, Asatsuyu, their lone white wine. He said, “In the early morning hours, you can see the cascading layers of fog from the San Francisco Bay slowly seeping past the hills surrounding Kenzo Estate. It’s quite beckoning and magical. It is this morning dew and our precise location that makes our grapes the best in the world,” he said. “We appropriately named our Sauvignon Blanc….Asatsuyu. Its crisp flavor captures the boldness of the morning dew.”
I stepped onto the deck and viewed the fog-shrouded valley as the skies gradually transformed from black to a pale blue-gray hue. Overwhelmed by the cold morning chill, I shivered and gripped my jacket tighter. A blanket of whiteness gradually enveloped the Estate surroundings and I felt the wetness of the morning dew on my face. This was Asatsuyu.
