*The label and wine name have been renewed to commemorate the 150th anniversary in 2015 of 1865, when Nagasawa left for England.
Using grapes from the Russian River Valley vineyards where Nagasawa once grew grapes and made wine, the wine has a well-balanced style that has rich fruitiness and oak flavors, with a touch of acidity thanks to the cool climate.
At the age of 13 in the mid-1800s, Nagasawa Kanae secretly traveled to England with 18 other friends from the Satsuma domain, which was in a policy of national isolation at the end of the Edo period, to study at the dawn of Japan.
He later joined the United Church of Christ and studied viticulture. He then traveled from the East Coast of the United States to California, where he established a winery in Sonoma. He overcame hardships such as the phylloxera plague and Prohibition to achieve great commercial success, and came to be known as the "Grape King," earning him great respect as the most successful Japanese person in America.
Nagasawa's winery eventually became one of the top 10 wineries in the state, but due to the history of discrimination against Japanese Americans that was once widespread in the United States, he was not allowed to rightfully pass the business on to his relatives, and this great samurai story was buried in darkness and forgotten.
Many years passed, and when President Reagan visited Japan in 1983, in an official speech at the Diet he praised Nagasawa Kanae alongside Fukuzawa Yukichi and Matsuo Basho for his outstanding achievements in the United States. This led to the media picking up the story and various books being published, once again making Nagasawa known to many Japanese people.
The city of Santa Rosa in Sonoma has preserved the site of Nagasawa's winery as "Nagasawa Community Park" in honor of his achievements, which had a major impact on California's current wine industry.
Part of Nagasawa's land is now owned by Paradise Ridge Winery, and the Big family, impressed by his achievement, produce small quantities of high-quality, elegant Chardonnay and Zinfandel each year, bearing his name.
Sonoma-born Bill Campbell, owner of Hotei Wines, grew up in an area associated with Nagasawa and played on the property from a young age.
As he is currently involved in the wine business, he felt a connection with this wonderful tradition and decided to release "KANAYE The Grape King" to further spread it throughout Japan.
The Satsuma Students Memorial Museum, which opened in Ichikikushikino City, Kagoshima Prefecture in 2014, showcases this wine along with the story of Nagasawa's difficult journey.