Chochin Junmai Ginjo Nama Genshu Hattannishiki 60 Shinbunshi (長珍酒造)
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Notes of fine cocoa powder, coca cola, German chocolate cake, sparkling mineral water, Fresca, and white grapefruit swirl together on the palate. I get an initial impression that is simultaneously sharp and dry x velvety and sweet, which leads into an intensely flavorful mid-palate, segueing into a weightless, celery & pomelo-inflected finish. Absolutely gorgeous.
Friends of mine recommend leaving a small bottle (~300ml) out at room temperature in the dark for about a month to soften it before warming, if that’s your jam. Diluting with a bit of good water will soften it further.
Grade: Junmai Ginjo Muroka Namagenshu
Rice: Hattan Nishiki (Hiroshima), Yamadanishiki (Hyogo)
Polishing: 60%/ 60%
Yeast: 901
Starter: sokujo
Acidity: 1.9
Water: Hard (Kiso River). The brewery's water comes from 3 wells of different depths (and therefore mineral compositions) inside the brewery, pumped from the groundwater of the Kiso River. The water is only well-filtered and runs through a seashell layer deep underground accumulating calcium and magnesium. The water is mineral-rich and hard but does not contain iron, which is detrimental to sake brewing, so it is used as is. This water (hard, high mineral content water) is what results in a fully fermented, strong sake.
SMV: 11
Alcohol: 18%
This sake just arrived to the US for the first time, so I’ll be honest– I don’t have a ton to offer here. However, I’ve had it a few times in Japan, hard though it is to find you’ll tend to see Chochin at unassuming spots that take their sake extremely seriously, especially their hot sake. Not coincidentally, most of these have been yakitori joints: everything from a college district dive to a high-end yakitori omakase. Think smoky, fatty, sauced, burnt sauce, and if we’re talking Nagoya then dark hatcho miso-based dishes, a bit of sweetness, and meaty oden. The sake was a tremendous match for the yakitori and all its accoutrements (roasted gingko nuts, grilled eggplant and onion, gingery chicken broth, soboro-don, and so on).
