Description
Since 1877, the family-owned Tosa brewery has made sakes in the picturesque, mountainous region of Tosa Reihoku in the Kochi prefecture. Today, the family’s sixth generation Muneki Matsumoto manages production, in the original 140-year-old brewery building. The ‘KEIGETSU’ range derives from the Japanese term, ‘Keigetsu’ describing the beautiful evening scene created when the moon hangs over nearby Katsurahama shore. It also pays homage to the famous novelist Keigetsu Omachi from the Meiji era (between 1868 and 1912), who loved Japanese sake and travelling.
The KEIGETSU sakes are made from the organically grown, local rice varieties Akitsuho, Gin-no-Yume and Yamadanishiki. Akitsuho is a rare table rice variety grown in only two mountainous regions in Japan. The sake-specific rice variety Gin-no-Yume is a crossing of Hinohikari and Yamadanishiki, specially developed for the Kochi prefecture. Hinohikari is a table rice variety native to Kochi and was traditionally used to brew sake before popular sake-specific rice varieties, such as Yamadanishiki, were developed. Mr Matsumoto believes that his local rice, grown within twelve kilometres of the brewery, is best suited to the Tosa Reihoku region because it thrives on the brewery’s terraced rice paddies at 300 – 600 metres above sea level. Here, the remote location and elevation create a high diurnal range, as well as a completely clean, natural environment, which lends itself well to premium rice farming.
Winner of the Junmai Daiginjo Gold Medal, at the 2022 International Wine Challenge, the `Nigori Junmai Daiginjo 50` is a coarsely filtered version of the ‘CEL24 Junmai Daiginjo 50’. The fine rice particles give this silky sake a cloudy appearance while bearing bolder tropical and stone fruit aromas, which can withstand spicy foods and rich cheese pairings.
This is a refreshingly light modern style of sake. It has a highly aromatic pineapple, melon and guava flavour profile, a juicy palate and a very enticing off-dry finish with a hint of minerality.
Best served chilled to 4-10°C, CEL24 Junmai Daiginjo 50 is delicious to drink on its own but it may also be enjoyed with dishes made with fragrant ingredients such as herbs or garlic.