Gozenshu Omachi Bodaimoto Kijoshu
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It's as if you took Gozenshu 1859, their flagship junmai, as a flat object, and then made it 3-dimensional. 1859 is floral, pretty, lactic, complex-- but with the kijoshu all of a sudden you get these layers, like velvet brocade, like a fine woven carpet-- clean and new, but with history in each fiber, different from each angle.
Kijoshu is a style of sake where, as the brew is "built" through successive additions of rice, koji and water, the 4th addition (out of 4) replaces the water with sake. This has the effect of 1) concentrating the brew, and 2) spiking the alcohol content, which slows down the yeast, making it struggle to the finish line. Struggling yeast produce different aromatics and the final brew tends to be more acidic + sweeter. In talented hands, the final sake is complex, concentrated and layered.
So how does it taste? Well, the acidity is fairly high, spiky the moment it hits the tongue, but also soft and lactic. Reminds me of creme fraiche, where it hits you at first with a satisfying sharpness and then melts to a creamy finish. But the sake isn't heavy, it's not dense. The creaminess doesn't linger too long or coat your tongue. Sweetness isn't notable honestly, it comes across as completely balanced and drinks like Gozenshu's regular Junmai-- just with more going on. In wine terms I might liken this to a lovely valtellina nebbiolo with 20 years on it, that at first glance seems as youthful as the day it was born, before leading into a textured, layered, softened and wizened nobility that comes with age. A flavor that begs you to slow down and notice.
Gosh...specific tasting notes feel inadequate here. But when I grasp, I find creme fraiche from grass-fed cows, alpine flowers, orange blossom honey, osmanthus white tea, fresh mandarins and frangipane.
Location: Okayama (North)
Rice: Omachi
Polishing: 65%
Yeast: 901
SMV: -24
Acidity: 2.2
Amino acids: 1.7
Starter: bodaimoto-inspired, sashimoto pied de cuvee
ABV: 15%
https://sakestreet.com/en/media/sakagura-tsuji-honten-okayama
Gozenshu is made by one of Japan's most accomplished female toji, Maiko Tsuji, who was also the first female toji in Okayama. In 2023, the company committed to producing 100% of their sake from local Okayama omachi rice, making them the first brewery in Japan to exclusively commit to local Omachi.
Gozenshu's relationship with bodaimoto method is one of a kind. They prepare their bodaimoto starter-- an ancient fermentation starter originally invented by monks in Nara-- by infusing koji rice into water using a cloth bag, almost like tea. This is versus using the traditional raw rice bodaimoto method, which makes the starter more sour and acetic. In addition, Gozenshu was the first brewery to rediscover and resurrect the bodaimoto method in the modern age. It was only by chance when a relative of the family, a London-based antiquities dealer, came across an old brewing book. This book included a recipe for the (then unknown) bodaimoto method, which led Gozenshu's toji on a quest to reproduce, and eventually evolve, this style of sake. Unpopular at first, bodaimoto is now a cornerstone of modern taste and has inspired dozens of other breweries to attempt the ancient method.
While the great majority of sake starters are acidified with pure lactic acid, bodaimoto is a mix of water and uncooked or cooked rice, left out to turn sour. Ambient lactic acid bacteria (along with a bunch of other random buggies) do their business, generate lactic acid, and eventually create a sour environment safe for sake yeast to thrive. This wild starter tends to be wild, funky, yogurt-y and fruity. Gozenshu's proprietary bodaimoto method is a variation on this, designed to produce a softer, less sour sake.
Everything! But particularly cave-aged cheeses, soft cheeses and creamy dishes.
47.14 YPR
