Jinyu 100 Poems Junmai Ginjo

Clean aroma of rainwater and sugar. Full bodied, light sweetness. Flavor of banana and cake icing without being overly sweet. Sweetest on the mid palate, smooth transition to finish with lingering sweetness but no sticky feeling. Subtle flavors but strong in body and overall sweetness. Might work with stronger flavored fish for sushi, or grilled chicken and fish. A rather interesting and drinkable sake.

Hananomai Junmai Ginjo

Light nose of rainwater and apricot. Fairly sweet, medium body, fairly dry. Mild floral and mineral tastes at front, strange and overly sweet finish. Ok with fruit, may also work with sweet and spicy dishes or a cheese plate. Other than a discordant finish, is a nice, mildly sweet sake. Could work with the right pairing, but probably not a drinking sake.

Takara Fune (Treasure Ship) Junmai Ginjo Sake

300 mL bottle

Predominantly vanilla and rainwater nose. Mild melon and white grapes, vanilla, rice. Medium to medium heavy body. Some legs, soft, fairly heavy umami/mouthfeel. Pretty focused, peppery finish which fades to a lingering and slightly unpleasant bitterness that's at odds with the other flavors. Drinkable, but not worth a premium. Try with tempura seafood and vegetables or salty appetizers, maybe grilled shisho.

Masumi @ Sharaku

Met a few people at Yataku's new sake lounge, Sharaku. Split a bottle of Masumi Karakuchi Ki-Ippon and tried the food. The Masumi was a pretty nice sake which paired well with the pressed sushi. Not much nose. Simple, straightforward fruit flavor, hint of strawberry. Medium body. Subtle earthiness, lingering, warm finish. Sharaku was fairly Japanese in styling although definitely a bar and not and Izakaya. There were 2 tokubetsu, 3 or 4 junmai ginjos, 1 daiginjo (Horin), a hot sake (Gekkaikan), a nigori, and a draft. Yutaka came by and said he was starting with a small list, and made us a sake and leechee cocktail.

Spring '09 Sake Dinner @ Kenichi Dallas

Kenichi had a 5 course (6 sake) dinner Thursday April 9th, pairing 5 courses with sake off their extensive list. It was a list with a lot of variety, and only one sake I'd tried before:

1) Started with a toast of Yaegaki Mu (Nothingness), a junmai daiginjo from Hyogo. Slight fruity aroma. Extremely clean, light body, low acidity, clean and then a blast of melon on the finish. A good aperitif or palate cleanser.

2) Setsugetsu Bijin (Moon Beauty) junmai daiginjo (Oita). Sweet, rich aroma. Dry but soft, clean, and sweet. Slight vanilla flavor, clean finish. Medium body, pairs with sashimi.

3) Kamoizumi (Autumnal Elixir) junmai daiginjo (Hiroshima). Almost no nose. Extremely sweet, light body, low acid. Dry finish. Grapes, sweet fruit flavors. Enough earthiness to balance with salad greens.

4) Kasumi Tsuru (Crane of Kasumi) yamahai ginjo (Hyogo). Retains some Hyogo identity even as a yamahai sake. Light nose, heavy body, intensely complex and layered flavor profile. Soft and sweet but rich and flavorful enough to pair extremely well with beef. Nicely representative of yamahai sakes.

5) Watari Bune "55" (Ferry boat) junmai ginjo (Ibaraki). Flowery nose. Soft and sweet with a mildly dry finish. Complex fruit (melon, peach, etc) flavors. Clean, light finish. A bit unusual and hard to describe.

6) Jizake Tenzan (Heaven's Mountain) junmai genshu (Saga). Stronger alcohol nose (unsurprising for a genshu), some vanilla presence. Intense, complex flavors; fruitiness (melon), pepper, starchy, almost buttery. Extremely rich mouthfeel, velvety. Dry, compelling finish. Versatile for pairing.

7) Chikurin Hou Hou Shou sparkling jumai (Okayama). Sweet, bright nose. Sweet with sour green apple flavor, rich, spicy - almost cidery. Clean finish.

Chikurin Fukamari Junmai

Sweet, vegetal (almost floral) aroma, hint of vanilla. Soft, smooth mouthfeel. Medium-heavy body. Slight acid brightness. Melon flavor with a hint of almond mid palate. Slight alcoholic sweetness lingers briefly on the finish. May match with nigiri.

Kaku-rei

Prototypical Niigata prefecture sake. Pronounced nose, alcohol evident. Moderate fruit - melon/guava/pear. Soft and full bodied. Relatively focused. Nice mild alcohol burn on otherwise smooth finish. May be good with wild fish.