Written by In July, I got a bottle of Retsu Junmai Ginjo from MelindaJoe, for SakeSwap. However, as I was in the process of getting ready to leave, and was busy, and had a huge number of drinking parties lined up already, I didn’t get around to drinking it until now. FINALLY! I SHALL CRACK IT OPEN!
She sent me what may or may not be (it’s been a while, I forget, and I read very badly) a bottle of namazake, that is, unpasteurized sake. Bottle says it’s 洌 純米吟醸. That is, Retsu (the name of the sake), and junmai ginjo, which according to Wikipedia’s sake article means pure rice sake (that is, no extra alcohol has been added) that’s been polished more than normal rice. Looking closer, there’s a label which says (I think — it’s written in fancy script, and I suck at reading): 無濾過生原酒, which, if I’m not mistaken, means unfiltered unpasteurized undiluted sake. Stronger flavour, more alcohol, and possibly tasty things living in it.
The rice has been polished to 40% of its original volume (which normally brings with it the 大吟醸, daiginjo label, but not in this case for some reason), so it should be slightly fruity. Its Sake Meter Value, however, is +11, which suggests that it ought to be rather dry. It’s made from 100% Yamada Nishiki rice, a variety called “the king of rices ideal for sake making”.
Right, with that in mind, I’m drinking it along with random fried things, because it’s hot, and izakaya fare at home sounded right up my alley.
Fragrance: Not much of one. Some sake comes with a very strong set of scents, and one can pick out a variety of different ones in the bouquet, not unlike any grape wine. This, though… this is sake, the way it ought to be. It smells of sake.
Impact: Just right. It doesn’t explode in my mouth like some sort of firebombing of civilian areas; at the same time, it has enough impact that you do, indeed, realize you’re drinking sake. It’s nice.
Sweet/Dry: With an SMV of +11, it should be very dry, but this feels rather neutral, to be honest. It’s dry, no question, but it’s not jarringly so. I like it.
Acidity: With the normal range of acidity values for sake ranging from 0.8 to 1.7, this ranks rather highly at 1.5, but again, it’s just right. It may be that I’m eating greasy food, and so the extra acidity is matching well with that, but it’s really good.
Presence: Full, almost creamy texture, which is hard to imagine maybe, but trust me, that’s the best word I think. Because this is unpasteurized, it tends to have a fuller presence than other sake might.
Earthiness: This is where I get exposed for the charlatan I am. I don’t know if it’s earthy or not. I don’t know what that means. It’s not THE OPPOSITE of earthy, if that helps?
Tail: Just long enough. The flavour doesn’t disappear from the mouth right away. It stays around just long enough, and in a pleasant manner, that just when it does fade, you’re ready for your next mouthful. Truly excellent.
A very good sake. I recommend! It’s quite nice. Bottles are 1450yen if you can buy at the brewery, or if you can find it online, it’ll probably run you 2200yen or so.
Do you live in Japan? Are you interested in tasting lots of interesting nihonshu from around the country? Be sure to head over to SakeSwap to sign up for the next swap.
Beautiful site. The sake Melinda sent you also sounds quite nice.