2007 Sugii Shuzo Suginishiki Kimoto Genshu

2007 Sugii Shuzo Suginishiki Kimoto Genshu

This particular sake comes from the Shizuoka prefecture on the Pacific Ocean side of the main island of Honshu. To the West it heads deep into the Japan Alps and to the East it becomes a narrower coast bounded in the North by Mount Fuji.

Kinnosuke Sugii is the owner and Toji (Master Brewer) here….a 6th generation Toji continuing the work of a lineage that stretches back to 1843. Kinnosuke has a reputation as a bit of a maverick in sake circles…..constantly researching and tweaking his product …..sometimes venturing down new paths…..sometimes reigniting the long extinguished embers of past production methods….most recently, garnering much praise in Japan for his traditional “Kimoto”sake.

Kimoto…or the original method….. is a technique of beginning the yeast starter outside of the standard method (sokujo moto). Up until around 1920, all sake was produced by mixing rice, koji and water together in a puree to help the yeast reproduce faster…..this was the original method. The other old school method…..very similar to Kimoto is Yamahai….in old drawings and paintings you can see men pureeing using large poles….that’s what these methods is all about.

Think less of the fruity, estery, light characters and more along the lines of complex, moody, earthy nuances like clove, spice, nuts and leesy hints and you are on the right track. Generally sake brewed with a kimoto moto has a higher sweetness and acidity, with richer, deeper, significantly more pronounced flavors.

Old school sake pureeing stylee

The rice used here is Yamada Nishiki….a successful hybrid strain used in many a fine sake. It is polished to 70%. Like all producers in the Shizuoka Prefecture, the Sugii brewery gets its water from its own well fed by the nearby Oi River.

Like scotch, water has a huge impact on the final product. Soft water leads to a slower fermentation with the yeasts not working so hard resulting in a sake that tends to be sweeter, soft and fuller on the palate. Harder water with it’s abundance of minerals leads to a feisty and robust fermentation….the sakes here are dryer, crisper and have sharper, more pronounced flavours and aromas.

The well at the Sugii brewery is reputedly the hardest and richest in minerals in the Prefecture, so you can expect a pretty heady sake. Mr Sugii is known for his small batch, artisanal sakes….limited release stuff that are greedily snapped up by sake aficionados, so if you see some of the Sugii gear around, grab it as you will not be disappointed.

This particular sake is a Kimoto Genshu….so one with a yeast starter made up old-school style and the Genshu means that it is undiluted….so more alcohol and concentrated, precise flavours and aromas. With this particular sake it is recommended that it be served chilled.

Clean and vivid in the glass with a striking, heady nose of pure rice and nashi pear with hints of citrus, spice, earth and grilled nuts.

Fantastic clarity and precision on the palate with pure, ricey flavours, crisp, subtle pear hints and great depth of complexing flavours….a slight saline note, deep, mouth-watering umami characters tinged with spice, grilled nuts and earthy nuances. Clean, vivid, deep flavours that soak down into the palate wrapped by a fresh seam of acidity and a long, dry finish that is almost sherry-like in its intensity. Fantastic Nihonshu.

Price: $100 – Closure: Screwcap – Alcohol: 18.8% – Source: Wine Bar – Importer: Blackmarket Sake

Essential drinking for budding sake samurai