Toko Sun Rise Junmai Ginjo
Toko Sun Rise Junmai Ginjo is made from Dewasansan rice, a descendant of the iconic Omachi heirloom strain. This rice is exclusively grown in Yamagata prefecture and helped to pave the way for Yamagata to receive the first geographical indication (GI), or appellation, in all of Japan. Toko Sun Rise Junmai Ginjo has some grassy, floral aromas with green apple and melon notes. The finish is soft and smooth. It is an excellent pairing with teriyaki salmon, sautéed snow pea shoots or maple glazed ham.
Tentaka Organaka Junmai
Tentaka Organaka Junmai is one of the few organic sakes produced in Japan and made with the intention of creating a completely natural product with nothing added. The area’s natural underground springs provide Tentaka with a pure, fresh water source, which is also triple-filtered. Tentaka Organaka Junmai is a sake with clean, dry, and straightforward, with bright banana and mild melon aromas and soft, subdued rice flavors. Try to pair it with brussels sprouts, butternut squash, shiitake mushrooms, or pork loin. Kampai!!
Chateau Cos d’Estournel Blanc 2018
2018 marks a new era for Cos d’Estournel Blanc: the balance, freshness and cellaring potential have been taken to the extreme, resulting in a supremely sophisticated, finely crafted wine. Chateau Cos d'Estournel Blanc 2018 has notes of floral blossoms, exotic fruit and fresh almond, also has a lovely mineral.
Ernie Els Major Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
A fragrant unspooling of red berries, just plucked off a wintery branch, cool and incandescent. The aromas deepen to the darker tones of cassis, brambleberries and black cherries. The vivid fruit is overlaid with a hint of balsam, sketched in with woody spice, fresh cinnamon, touches of vanilla smoke and classic cigar box. The line of cassis continues onto the palate with ripe plums and succulent red cherries, the juicy fruit enlivened further by a refreshing, natural acidity. Fine-grained, powdery tannins layer and dissolve, carrying all that fruit towards the appetisingly clean, and dry finish.
Champagne Baron Dauvergne Blanc de Noirs NV
The Baron D'Auvergne Champagne house, nestled in Bouzy, in the heart of the Montagne de Reims region, has a history dating back several centuries. They are a small negotiant house, growing and buying grapes. Bouzy is a Grand Cru village, one of the highest-rated vineyards in Champagne, and well known for the quality of its Pinot Noir grapes, perfect for the creation of this cuvee. The Champagne Baron D'Auvergne Fine Fleur is a Blanc de Noirs, made exclusively from Pinot Noir grapes, and aged on lees for 36 months, resulting in its complex flavors and delicate effervescence. The dosage is only 9 g/l RS, creating a Brut style.
Carlos Serres Gran Reserva 2016
The Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo grapes are sourced from a selection of different plots in the “Finca El Estanque” vineyard, with a surface of 60 hectares (150 acres) that is owned by the winery, in the best terroir in Haro. Aging: aged for 24 months in American and French oak barrels. Refined in the bottle for 36 months before release.
Chateau La Gordonne La Chapelle Gordonne Tete de Cuvee Rose 2022
Chateau La Gordonne La Chapelle Gordonne Tete de Cuvee Rose has a litchee-pink colour, very pale and limpid. It aromas has notes of pink grapefruit and linden blossom notes reveal this wine’s very rich mineral quality in a poetic evocation of the sun rising over the Provence Garrigue on a summer day. On the palate the wine is ample and balanced around sensations of freshness, delicacy and sweetness. It is bursting with small fresh fruits such as the arbutus berries on the wooded hillsides of the schist terroir of the Château la Gordonne. The long, pleasant finale expresses the finesse and flavour of a wild strawberry sorbet.
Shichi Hon Yari Junmai The Seven Spearsmen
Founded in the 1540’s, the Tomita Brewery is one of the oldest breweries in Japan and is now managed by the 15th generation of the family, Yasunobu Tomita, who is also the brewmaster. The Tomita’s named their sake Shichi Hon Yari, or “Seven Spearsmen,” after the leaders of the historic Battle of Shizugatake which was fought just outside their town of Kinomoto. Shichi Hon Yari Junmai is the classic representation of the brewery’s style with its traditional and modern dimensions. Earthy and rich aromatics and flavors meet elegance and softness in the finish. The bright acidity makes this a fun sake to pair with dishes outside of traditional Japanese cuisine, including Duck a l’orange and Yukhoe, Korean Steak Tartare.
Domaine de la Villaudiere Sancerre 2023
Domaine de la Villaudiere Sancerre 2023 has a pale yellow color with aromas of white flowers and citrus. On the mouth the wine is round and fresh. Domaine de la Villaudiere Sancerre 2023 has good balance with a harmonious finish.
Kirin-Zan Classic Sake Magnum
Dry, clean, light-bodied and well-refined. This is a representative of the TanreiKarakuchi sake made in Niigata, the heartland of Japanese premium sake production. Kirinzan Shuzo is located near Mt. Kirin (= Kirin-zan) in Tsugawa, Niigata. Kirin is a mythical creature much like a flying unicorn, is believed to bring about happiness and luck. Food pairing:
- Matches well with most of Japanese dishes, especially when served room temp or lukewarm, including raw/lightly grilled fish and shrimps, tofu, simmered vegetable, and sunomono.
- Bacon-wrapped Scallops - “The Classic” is paired with the soft, rich, nuttiness of the seared Sea Scallop because of the ricey, nutty aromas of the sake. The crispy, salty outer rim of seared bacon needs the strong more intensely forward flavors that the sake provides.
- Other recommendations: Trout Amandine, Roasted chestnuts, Terrine of foie-gras, Sea urchin carbonara, Pear and frangipane tart.
