Koji Nakada and Jae Hwa Park – The Japanese influence

Visiting Maison Lou Dumont in Gevrey Chambertin is an entry into an exciting Japanese Burgundian world.

The Maison Lou Dumont is the estate of Koji Nakada and Jae Hwa Park. Under the brand Lou Dumont, they run quite a large négoce business. They also have a small domaine under the name Domaine Koji and Jae Hwa where they produce some very interesting niche wines … with, what I would call, a Japanese flair.

I visited the estate with my Danish friend, Lars from Yeschef, a food geek extraordinaire and dealer of mainly Japanese products – knives, grills, barbecues and food products … soy, wasabi … you name it, he’s got the most – check out his website.

Lars Holmer has a passion … a huge passion for Asian food … and works with some of the best chefs, including Erik Vildgaard of Jordnaer in Denmark – three-star Michelin recently.

Lars is always a guy to follow, and when he suggested that we visit Domaine Koji and Jae Hwa in Gevrey … I was in, as Lars has some interesting ideas of combining Japanese food with Burgundy wine.

The estate

Domaine Lou Dumont was founded in 2000 by Koji Nakada, a Japanese sommelier and oenologist, and his Korean wife, Jae Hwa Park.

Koji Nakada moved to Burgundy in 1996 to study oenology at the University of Beaune. It first emerged as a négociant business, but in 2012, they bought their first plots of vineyards, founding the domaine as part of the estate.

The name Lou Dumont: It is a combination of the name of their goddaughter, Lou, and the French translation of ‘mountain’, which pays homage to the landscape origins of the two owners in Japan and Korea.

Umami and Burgundian wines

Umami (/uːˈmɑːmi/ from Japanese: 旨味 Japanese pronunciation: [ɯmami]), or savoriness, is one of the five basic tastes – saltiness, sweetness, bitterness, sourness, and umami, which translates to ‘deliciousness’). Umami is the characteristic of broths and cooked meats …

Umami can create a heavenly marriage with Burgundy wines as the vividness of the Burgundian wine integrates very well with the intense savoriness … the unique freshness of the best Burgundian wines lifts the umami richness to new aromatic dimensions – (ok, enough marketing bla-bla from the hog).

Let’s dig in …

Domaine Koji and Jae Hwa, Bourgogne Coteaux Bourguignon 2023

The lower parts of Comblanchien can be something special apparently, as Nicolas Faure and Koji Nakada both make some tremendous wines from this area. The Chardonnay is very elegant, pure and vivid … delicate, with nice acidity. This is not a big terroir but somehow, the soil gives a lovely mineral lift to the wine.

(Drink from 2025) – Very Good – (89p) –

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Domaine Koji and Jae Hwa, Coteaux Bourguignons Pinot Gris 2023

The La Violette plot in Hautes de Nuits and Pinot Gris is an interesting creation. Rich and slightly opulent with quite a dense texture. It’s more appealing to other culinary combinations than the Comblanchien white … pairs especially well with spicy food with the richer palate.

(Drink from 2025) – Very Good – (88p) –

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Domaine Koji and Jae Hwa, Bourgogne Aligoté 2023

The Aligote 2023 is a very interesting wine. Elegant .. vivid … with a very nice flavour profile ..  100% new oak from Chassin combined with the fruit from 100-year-old vines. It’s elegant and delicate with a lovely intensity. In my opinion, this will work very well with umami-based flavours.

(Drink from 2025) – Very Good – (91p) –

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Domaine Koji and Jae Hwa, Marsannay 2023

The white Marsannay is on the rich side, and generous with quite some weight from the terroir. It’s quite a big wine with lovely balance … seems like a good companion to spicy dishes and poultry.

(Drink from 2027) – Very Good – (88-89p) –

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Domaine Koji and Jae Hwa, Aligoté sans soufre 2021

The unsulphured Aligoté is organic and slightly reductive with a note of gunpowder. Interesting wine, but very much different than the regular Aligoté. It is a 2021 and more focused and “lean” than the 2023s … a difficult year to work completely without sulphur. A nice effort – but I prefer the 2023 Aligoté with its umami possibilities.

(Drink from 2024) – Very Good – (89p) –

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Domaine Koji and Jae Hwa, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits 2023

The Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits is a lovely wine. 80% whole cluster and low extraction. It’s delicate with quite an oak impression – Chassin is however doing a fine job also in this wine. A nice wine, however, not in the same league as the Bourgogne V.V. or the Gevrey. Note the Chassin oak that I feel is creating the link to the japanese food flavours.

(Drink from 2027) – Very Good – (88p) –

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