Not for love, nor money, nor the promise of trophies and fame, did I participate in the South Philly Costume Criterion over the weekend. And, mission accomplished, as I came home with none of the preceding.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Hallowe'en
Not for love, nor money, nor the promise of trophies and fame, did I participate in the South Philly Costume Criterion over the weekend. And, mission accomplished, as I came home with none of the preceding.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Kyoto Wrap, Part II
Continuing on this particular odyssey, a huge can of sake, half a litre of Kikusui Funaguchi Ichiban Shibori Honzojo Nama Genshu - I quite like this sake, the ultimate winter warmer, but this is a lot of firepower!
Liquor Mountain in Fushimi, where we picked up a pair of 20% nama genshu, for breakfast.
Back to Torisei in Fushimi for more of the delightful ginjo nama genshu.
So, they keep the tank of sake right out in the middle of the restaurant, but I'd not seen them top up the tank before. Only wish they'd pick a nicer bucket, rather than the kind that one finds in Asian toilets.
Having gone for a quick dip in Arashiyama (ok, ok, I fell in), warmed up with some familiar convenience-store purchases: Tama no Hikari Junmai Ginjo and Shirataki Mizunogotoshi Junmai. Standard fare, the former being true to Fushimi-style, soft and neutral, and the latter being slightly unusual Niigata fare, soft and slightly round, but still clean.
Back to Nichi-an. My first Jokigen, a ginjo yamahai genshu, yamada nishiki milled to 55%, SMV +6, acidity 1.4, amino acidity 1.2, and 16.5% alcohol, which seems particularly low for a genshu. Not that I could tell that it was yamahai, genshu, and not junmai. Very tasty and balanced.
Ebi-san at Nichi-an. I really would appreciate if someone could tell me what the one on the right is... "Etsugaijin?" But not that gaijin. On the right though, my first Furosen, a Yamahai Junmai Daiginjo - one of the very, very few breweries that don't use any cultured yeasts. Graceful with richness and umami, but certainly not wild.
Another first for me, Jyuyondai Tatsuno Otoshigo Junmai Nama - the tatsuno otoshigo (seahorse) is the name of the rice varietal. Soothing and pretty gentle, but what a price! ¥3400 for the 720ml bottle. 
Having tired of walking, we took a day trip to Amanohashidate. The train, as ever, is an opportunity to drink sake. Another of Fushimi's own, Tomio Junmai Ginjo Hiyaoroshi, which was full of fall feeling, just plumped up and savoury enough. 
Back to Kyoto, Daimon-san at Mukune had recommended that we visit the sake bar Yoramu, which is run by an Israeli guy. I can't help but feel we'd have had a better experience if we were actually Japanese, which is a strange twist, but I'll leave that alone and just comment on the sake. The focus here is on unpasteurised sake, and aged sake, much of it aged by the owner with a strict foreswearing of temperature control. Given that most producers are reluctant to ship namazake abroad because of a) lack of temperature control and b) shipping time affects freshness, here is a shop on the far side of the spectrum. Above, Kidoizumi Junmai Nama Genshu, an organic producer from Chiba, one of the prefectures I missed on my One Koku Challenge. This had unmistakeable genshu power, though the nama-ness was not so evident. Of course, the owner insists that "most sake is not ready to drink for 3 to 4 years", so who knows what this bottle has lived through.
(L) Kariho Yamahai, apparently not the Namahage, and aged by the proprietor for 10 years, in his hall closet. It was surprisingly mellow, not raging and mad like the Namahage, with only a mild sourness giving nod to the method. (M)Joho - not sure of the brewing details, except that although this sake was bottled in 2008 (20BY), it was actually aged, warm, by the brewery for 8 years before that. Again, unexpectedly mellow, only the earliest hints of madeirization. (R) A mystery producer, but lots of details - junmai muroka, gohyakumangoku rice milled only to 80%, SMV +8, acidity 2.7, 19.5% abv (genshu?), and aged for 4 years before bottling last year. The "wildest" of the group, but primarily for the acidity.
(L) Another organic producer, from Kochi, Mutemuka (no hand, no crown) Junmai Nama. Aged by the producer for 6 months at room temperature, resulting in a biggish but dry sake with a particularly earthy and ricy finish. (M) The same Terada Honke as earlier at Umi (oho, not so unique are we, Mr. Yoramu?). (R) Maibijin Yamahai Junmai, truly a "dancing beauty."
Back to Nichi-an, for dinner and more sake. Unfortunately, at precisely this moment, my back legs failed and I have no recollection whatsoever of the producer. As you can see, the label is of no help in this matter, but what it is is a "single-paddy-field" sake. We tried two, this 611, and another, the 437. They struck me as being particularly fragrant and fruity, a bit like dewasansan rice. I wish I could remember the brewer's name!
Next day, back legs recovered, a less-exalted lunch along the river in Arashiyama, with this "shibotasonomama", a variation on "just pressed" that I've not seen before this trip (but now seeing everywhere.)
Being the friendly sorts we are, we invited some passing-by kayakers for a drink, and they heartily accepted (and approved of our selections.)
And finally, the last sake selections of the trip. (L) Suigei Junmai from Kochi Pefecture. Love the name, "drunken whale", and the sake is lovely and dry, and this is no exception. I prefer this one though, made from Hattan Nishiki, to the tokubetsu junmai made from Matsuyama Mitsui - not sure why, just not keen on the latter's anise notes. (R)Bijofu Junmai Usu-nigori, not only just lightly filtered, but bottled with the intent of allowing continuing fermentation, and thus, a lightly sparkling, but thoroughly dry sake. Not as tasty as Mukune's usu-nigori, but probably the tastiest sparkling sake I've tried.Odd or not, it took about a week of being back in the U.S. before I felt the need to open a bottle of sake again. More on that, soon.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Kyoto Wrap, Part I
Another excellent trip to Japan, 11 days in and about Kyoto. Heavily focused on sake-education. Exhibit 1 is the menu from Umi in Pontochō, a place that seems to be more sake bar than izakaya.
As with all exercises, it is important to warm up properly, so, to another "Umi", also in Pontochō. My eyes trained immediately on a namazake from Denshu.
From Umi to shining Umi, as the song goes. Note the exquisitely prepped and dried fishies.
On the left, Kirei Junmai Karakuchi Hachiju from Hiroshima - unusual in that the rice here is only milled to 80%, reflecting the new rules for junmai. A full on 17.5%, and a proper departure from Hiroshima's soft sweet style, which the owner attributed to the water the brewery uses. Maybe not as "pretty" as the name suggests (a play on words actually, as the kanji refers to the age of a turtle), but a tastily forward sake.On the right, Chikusen Chokarakuchi Junmai Genshu from Hyogo, 100% Yamada Nishiki, SMV +14, and 20% abv! Not for the faint of heart!
Unfortunately, I can't decipher the junmai ginjo on the right, but the Yamagata sake on the left is no secret. Or, rather, it is, "Naishyo" Hiyaoroshi Junmai Nama Genshu, which was as brash as might be expected from this combination, and also rather earthy.
We made a lunchtime visit to Mukune, where I participated in a brewing internship last year, and where R. and I had visited the year before, our first meeting with Daimon-san. Daimon-san assured me that none of the sake we interns had worked on had gone wrong, and that in fact most of it was now sold. Amongst the many sake we had over lunch (including the last of my favorite Daikanzukuri Kasumi-shu Usu-Nigori) was this aki-agari, the first shinshu (new sake) from last season, and the first sake to be released in the fall season, after the customary aging over the summer. Wonderfully alive, sharp and dry, yet smoooooth. It should be noted that what is exported is not Mukune's most alluring stuff. No, the locals drink that all by themselves. 
20 year-old koshu in Yamamoto-Honke's chicken-focused pub, Torisei, in Fushimi. If anyone wants to try chicken sashimi, this is the place. Haunting is not the right word for this sake though. Disturbing is more like it. Certainly madeirized, but maybe more in common with marmite and shoyu than sake. My man G. was complaining about the aftertaste days later. Still, given that their ginjo nama genshu is so good, and this is certainly out there on the fringes, I don't understand why their onigoroshi is so pedestrian (and more so, why they have to send it to the U.S.) More GNG, please!
Mukune-interns may remember "Stand"-ing in Fushimi. The owner certainly remembered us. Excellent kushikatsu.
I might be wrong, but I think this junmai ginjo was from Matsumoto Shuzo in Fushimi, Nokomi?
At any rate, when it came time to pay and leave, G. was offered a job. If only. I love this place.
Certainly looking the part.
Irrashai!!!! Of course, G. made a proper hash of it, scaring the locals. Not ready for Captain Fantastic and the Brown Cowboys, it appears.
Another bash at Umi in Pontochō. (L) Terada Honke Junmai Nama. This brewery is truly out there - all organic, brewing 100% in the kimoto style, and additionally, with no cultured yeasts added at all. Can't argue with their belief in the Japanese proverb Hyakuyaku no Cho ("sake is healthier than 100 medicines.") Milled only to 90%, and unusual. Sour and earthy, this is not tanrei. (C) I may have misunderstood this one, because I thought the proprietor said Kaiun, which I know, but he said that it Kaishun. Never heard of it. On Junmai Nama, and, again, if I've understood correctly, fermented in wood vats. More familiar than the Terada Honke, but still with that pronounced earthy sharpness. (R) Kitajima Tokubetsu Junmai Kimoto Nama Genshu, easily the cleanest of the bunch, but also the most powerful, and a sort of tame nama, so a bit dangerous!
They just kept rolling out. The Terada on the left, but now the (C)Daishichi Junmai Kimoto Nama Genshu, which I know and love, and the (R) Naishyo from the previous visit.
And finally, a doburoku style sake made by Nara Prefecture's Okura Honke. I noticed this in some restaurants in Nara as well, which I found a bit surprising, given this sake, brewed in a 600-year-old style, was more of a dry alcoholic cross between rice pudding and a vanilla milkshake, complete with a sprinkling of cinnamon. This, sadly, was the closest I would get to Shirakawago's Doburoku festival, held while we were in Japan, but ultimately far too difficult to get to (and no accommodation to be had for miles.)
Speaking of Nara, there was a small fair outside Todaiji in Nara Koen, with this stand of local sake, including, of course, Harushika, Ume no Yado, and my favorite Mushohai.
My favorite sake shop in Nara. I still don't know the name, but I know how to find it. Or, at least I always end up there.
And, on the way back to Kyoto, some refreshments for the train, three Nara cup sake.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Kyoto Protocol VII
For the last of this round's Protocols, finally got to meet M.-san, J's wine-shop wunderkind (and who provided the Donati and the Munjebel, and was trying Musar for the first time.)
N.V. Donati Malvasia Frizzante - this was unusual! Is it lambic-ish? Maybe... a little... it's... it's... unusual! Not as severe, not as acidic, not as funky, but possibly just as elemental.1993 R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Rosado - oddly, this is a touch less savoury than previous bottles. I'm wondering... could it possibly be on the downslope? I've proposed to Tinto that I bring my last bottle of this to the Heredia winemaker dinner, but I think they're declining. Hope that means they have too much wine already!
1995 Chateau Musar Blanc - so, last year, Serge Hochar said the '89 is the youngest wine that's ready to drink. I don't completely agree, but I can sort of understand - I think I really like it on release, it's got a bit of wildness, as it does when it gets older. This didn't seem to have that, a sort of dormancy. Well, dormant is relative for Musar, no? But then again, as J. suggested, pop and pour might not be the way to enlightenment here.1995 Chateau Musar Rouge - J. called me mid-day after extraction, very concerned... "off?" he said. I suggested a decant, but J. declined. Well, when came over, I poured off a bit and thought... oh yeah! It might have been off in JUST the right way - yes, the '95 is usually very delicious, but in a clean sort of way. This had just a bit more of a funk-soul-brother edge to it, that just kept picking up. A super bottle, and I think it was pretty much unanimously the wine of the night. At least for myself and M.
2001/2002 Cornelissen Munjebel - if I've understood quickly, this is the first Munjebel release, right? Visually unsettled - cloudy, with a definite gray tinge (which kept turning - hello oxygen!), distinctly Musarian aromatics, but so much more tannic and ashy - as J. says, ETNA!
2007 Rietsch Passage - I'm going to say that the VJ descriptor J.'s been using doesn't do this justice - it is very much its own, lovely thing. Whereas VJ seems to be an almost overly demanding wine at times, this is very much for drinking.2006 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Dürnsteiner Kellerberg - I was a bit worried about this. Yes, this is F.X., yes, this is DK, the top of the pops, as it were. But it's also '06, I went in too heavy, I shoulda held out for '07 (colder, more classical). Well, step back, I've had really great '06s so far, maybe I've chosen exceptionally wisely? But after tasting '07 vs '08, very worried. No need to worry here! Superb Smaragd, superb fruit concentration, balanced against superb minerality, balanced against superb acidity. It brought to mind Roland Velich (Moric's) comments about triangularity - this was equilaterally balanced. Co-WOTN, for me.
2000 Produttori del Barbaresco Pora - I'm sure it's a very nice wine and all, but what a wallflower this was in this room full of extroverts.
To sum up, we finished off the Kracher from the other night, and popped all three Nøgne Ø sakes, the Yamahai Muroka Junmai, the Yamahai Nigori Nama Junmai, and the Yamahai Genshu Muroka Shiboritate Nama Junmai. And then... the singing began...Thursday, October 14, 2010
Kyoto Protocol VI
Our numbers were a bit low this evening, as G. couldn't find his back legs, and S. decided to go for yoga instead. Really, what is the world coming to these days? To start things off, a local brew, Tsuki no Katsura Junmai. Has that soft feminine Kyoto style thing going, but also just a bit more umami and edge.
NV Jo Landron Atmospheres Methode Traditionelle (Nantes) - an 80/20 blend of Folle blanche/Pinot noir. Loamy, nutty, bracing acidity, a touch foamy and green, very refreshing. Fatigue-antidote.
2008 Lapierre Morgon (Sans Soufre) - purchased by J in Kyoto, to toast the passing of Marcel Lapierre. Have to say, I much prefer the sulphured versions. Not sure of the chemical reasons, but there's definitely a ripeness that is lacking in this. My understanding is ML only produced this at the request of one U.S. importer, who only sells it through their own store. And then a small amount gets to Japan and possibly elsewhere.
2007 Raul Perez El Castro de Valtuille Mencia Joven (Bierzo) - a very cab-franquish unoaked mencia, with just a touch more fruit. Tasty.
2000 Kracher Welschriesling TBA #8 - my man J's notes are far more impressive than mine, so I quote: "This is sordid stuff. Rubensian women dripping apricot jam off their breasts down into your mouth as you float down a river of butter...this is decadence without prejudice (in the Apocalypse Now sense).
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Kyoto Protocol V
Back in Japan for more general mischief, and a number of protocols. This was the first.
Most epic roast-beef sandwich ever... wagyu roast beef
1995 Clouet - full and spiced nose, tight for most of the night, less savoury/funk than last time, less champagne-like until later on, filled out, bread and lemons. Increasingly tasty.
2004 Movia Pinot Nero - not as exuberant as the last bottle. Variation? Age? Earth and fruit, dry, light, good acidity, just missing that edge. Tasty though.
Cornelissen Contadino 4 – almost what the Movia PN should have been – vibrant, pine, juniper, like a St. Laurent. Delicious until about 11:30, when it had been open for nearly 11.5 hours. Fell apart after that, tannin, rotten fruit.
A non-neba-neba preparation of yama-imo!
More of Kawakita-san's magic.
2006 Mâcle Côtes du Jura – nose of yogurt rice, light walnut, smooth, not in your face intensity like ’05 and ’04, more approachable for sure.1988 Chateau d'Arlay Vin Jaune - tastes alsmost as it did 18 months ago. This of course is the bottle we opened... 18 months ago. Must leave some for future tastings, no?
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