Winemaker Notes
Aromas of clean honeydew rind, grainy rice with a touch of earth. The impact on the palate is soft and rich but not cloying. A gentle sweetness envelops the tongue while the clean, high-strung acidity does the work. It has loads of body but is able to maintain tightness and structure. While spicy honeydew and dry anise dominate up front, the finish is dry with good spicy white pepper and jasmine notes. Try with tuna tartare, grilled prawns with lemongrass, apple and jicama slaw, goat cheese with lavender honey.
The introduction of the waterwheel in the 17th century, which eliminated the need for the manual polishing of rice grains, allowed Japan to begin producing saké at an industrial level for its greater population. Today Japan remains at the cutting edge of technology in its brewing practices. However, the traditional methods of handcrafted, artisanal saké remain alive in smaller and often family-owned breweries. Many of these showcase local ingredients and focus on microclimates to make what is known as ‘jizake,’ or regional saké.
Saké with the highest milling requirement at 50%, so that 50% of each grain of rice remains unmilled, is called Junmai-Daiginjo. It is, just like Junmai and Junmai-Ginjo, made up solely of water, koji mold, yeast and rice. The categories of saké are established not by rice variety, but by polishing or milling percentages; this category is the highest.