LeDomduVin: 3 to Tango!

3 to Tango!

Another night with some excellent wines.

Juyondai Harima Yamada Nishiki Junmai Daiginjo (Nakadori)

Made from Harima Yamada Nishiki rice, Nakadori sake is considered the finest of the batch for its clarity, expressive aromas, well-balanced structure, purity of flavor, smooth texture, and versatility. One of Juyondai’s premium, it boasts fresh aromas of lychee, white peach, and hints of green melon. Medium to full-bodied, but not heavy or too rich, the palate is complex and layered. It offers an elegant, soft, velvety texture with fruity flavors, making it an ideal aperitif or a perfect companion to seafood like sashimi. Beautifully crafted. Loved it.

Dugat-Py Moyzeres Chambertin Grand Cru 2018

Beyond its clear, bright, hypnotizing crimson color, the Dugat-Py Moyzeres Chambertin 2018 reveals attractive, freshly crushed red cherries and berries mixed with earthy, spicy, and floral notes on the nose. The palate combines freshness, elegance, refinement, balance, and length with sexiness, richness, complexity, and juiciness. The mid-palate is luxurious and concentrated, with integrated tannins, remarkable acidity, and a long-lasting aftertaste. It is a perfect blend of grace and equilibrium, showcasing the extraordinary quality of the 2018 vintage. Although open and easy to drink now, it will undoubtedly benefit from a few years of cellaring. Delightful wine! Loved it.

Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion 2005

La Mission Haut-Brion 2005 is a stunning wine! The opening displays enticing blackberry, cedar, and tobacco aromas, mingling with earthy notes and menthol nuances. Medium-bodied, the palate is refined, elegant, ample, supple, generous, and incredibly well-balanced between the ripeness of the fruit, the refreshing acidity, and the fine tannins, providing respectively juiciness, freshness, elegance, complexity, texture, and structure to this splendid example of this great vintage. Loved it.

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Some lineup!

Some lineup!

The other day, I enjoyed opening some great bottles again. 

Raifuku Junmai Daiginjo Ultra 8 Sake

Light and easy-going, a bit short for my taste. I like my sake with a bit more weight and length. 

Juyondai Akaiwa Omachi Junmai Ginjo (1800ml) 

Brewed with 'Omachi' (often referred to as the ancestor of sake rice) from Akaiwa in the Okayama prefecture, this sake is rich, smooth, medium to full-bodied, and delightfully layered. It boasts distinctive cantaloupe aromas and a rich umami finish.

Louis Latour Meursault 2017

Overall, it is an elegant, light to medium-bodied, well-balanced wine with notes of citrus, honey, and oak and a reasonably long finish.

Jean-Noel Gagnard Batard-Montrachet 2018

I love JN Gagnard's wines, and this Batard is delightful. It boasts fresh and enticing stone fruits, white flowers, and zesty aromas. The palate is crisp, refreshing, and mineral, with a good density and outstanding balance, and the glycerine coating the palate and layered flavors expand till the seamless finish. Now, that's a great wine! 

Denis Mortet Clos de Vougeot 2019

I love Denis Mortet's wines, and this "Clos de Vougeot", although still too young, is another excellent example of this talented and skilled winemaker. Refined, elegant, complex, rich, long, and extremely satisfying. 

Chateau Latour Pauillac 2015

Deep garnet-purple color, it offers lovely aromas of ripe black and red berries, mingling with notes of licorice, red roses, and cigar box. The palate combines red and black fruits with freshness and ripeness, gentle texture, and integrated tannins. It is expressive, generous, ample, layered, structured, balanced, and surprisingly drinkable. 

Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 2005

So open and easy to drink right now, aromatic, complex, smooth, and layered, with a long finish. Loved it. 

Cheers! Santé!

Dom 

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin @raifuku.sake #raifuku #juyondai @louislatour1797 #louislatour @domaine_jeannoel_gagnard #jeannoelgagnard @domainedenismortet #denismortet @_chateaulatour #chateaulatour @chateaumoutonrothschild_ #moutonrothschild #wine #vin #vino #wein #sake #burgundy #bordeaux #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob #wineyearly

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LeDomduVin: Friday at Yakumo

Friday at Yakumo 

Over these past 2 months, Fridays have become the Japanese restaurant night for me. 

I select the wines based on the requested budget and the menu of the day, then serve them to the host and his guests. 

These private dinners usually happen at our Japanese restaurant, Yakumo. 

A small, dark, and fancy place comprising only an L-shaped counter and high stools for about 10 to 12 people maximum, surrounding an open kitchen, where our talented Chef and his team cautiously and meticulously prepare each dish with a precision only known to Master Japanese Chef. 

This past Friday, I served what has become a staple of these Friday night private dinners, the sake from Juyondai Cho Tokusen Banshu Yamadanishiki Junmai Daiginjo. 

Juyondai Cho Tokusen Banshu Yamadanishiki Junmai Daiginjo. 

It is bold and flavorful, without being too heavy or too sweet, nice balance overall, and has a punchy finish (for my taste, and yet, I like it, but I prefer lighter and softer Sake). 

It usually pairs really well with the flavors of most dishes, unfortunately, it is never easy to please everyone by pairing one Sake with a 10+ dishes menu. So, I also select some champagne, and white and red wines, just in case, and play it by ear. 

This past Friday, besides the Sake, no champagne, nor wine, just a very pleasant red. 

Robert Groffier Père et fils Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Amoureuses" 2018

Really attractive, fruity, friendly nose, ripe, bright red cherry fruits, and floral aromas mingling with earthy and mineral notes. The palate is fresh and zesty, sour, but a good sourness, not the puckering one. After 2 hours of opening, it was really delightful, showing elegance, freshness, and zesty characteristics, a gentle concentration of ripe red wild cherries in a bottle. Loved it. 

Santé! Cheers! 

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Magnums... Juyondai Sake & 2018 Benjamin Leroux Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru

Magnums

It might not work for everyone or everything, but, for wine, large formats are usually better.

As the wine usually tends to take longer to evolve the bigger the bottle is, the wine usually remains fresher and often tastier, in my opinion.

Although it might not matter much for young vintages, it is particularly true for older vintages.

Last night, I was doing the service at our Japanese restaurant for a group of 10 people, and I selected some magnums of Sake and Burgundy, as I think that Sake is mandatory, and Pinot Noir perfectly complements the delicate and refined yet flavorful flavors and tastes of the Japanese cuisine.

Juyondai Cho Tokusen Banshu Yamadanishiki Junmai Daiginjo 1800ml

Sake is a must in a Japanese restaurant, and without it, something would be terribly missing, and the whole experience would not be the same. So, I selected this Juyondai Cho Tokusen that I have been buying a lot lately, but this time in a 1800ml bottle. Not only it is great with various dishes, but it makes for the perfect apéritif to wake up your taste buds and open your appetite. Rather light to medium bodied, well-balanced, fruity, and lightly sweet, with aromas of melon, lychee, peach, and mineral nuances. Harmonious and soooo easy to drink. Love it.

Benjamin Leroux Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru 2018 1.5L

This came as a great surprise to me, the host, and his guests. I bought it based on "instinct", not knowledge, as I had never tried this 2018 and therefore did not know what to expect. Yet, I like to challenge myself. To one particular guest, a wine connoisseur who always wanted to try Benjamin Leroux but never really had the chance to do so before and absolutely loved the wine. To the host, because this guest was essential to him, he was pleased with me for selecting this particular wine. Was it a combination of my skills, knowledge, and experiences, or just luck? However, I am grateful it worked, as everyone was pleased with the food and the overall evening experience, enhanced by the quality of this beautifully crafted, soft, silky, and delightful wine.

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Juyondai Cho Tokusen Banshu Yamadanishiki Junmai Daiginjo Sake

Juyondai Cho Tokusen Banshu Yamadanishiki Junmai Daiginjo Sake

十四代 　純米大吟釀　超特撰　播州山田錦　生詰

If I have been posting more "Sake" lately, it is because the company I work for has recently opened a Luxurious Private Club, comprising several bars, private rooms, a cigar lounge, and a few restaurants, including one Japanese Restaurant, where I have been going to do the wine service at least once or twice a week, in the past few weeks.

The good thing is that atop buying wines for these dinners, I now also get to buy some Sake, which is great as I can learn more about them and train my palate by tasting lots of different ones.

Last Monday night, I poured this Sake from the famous and highly regarded brand "Juyondai". Although they produce quite a few of them, I love most of their Sake. That's how reliable this brand is. Highly recommended.

The "Cho Tokusen Banshu Yamadanishiki Junmai Daiginjo" is quite nice and strong, medium sweet, and very flavorful, with a slight sensation of alcohol in the back end.

It pairs well with stronger and more flavorful dishes.

For those of you who might be clueless about Sake, here is some information that may help, courtesy of https://theartofsake.com/products/juyondai-junmai-daiginjo-cho-tokusen

Grade: Junmai Daiginjo

Polishing Ratio: 35%

Rice Type: Yamadanishiki

Alcohol: 15%

Prefecture: Yamagata

Brewery: Takagi Shuzo

Junmai Daiginjo is the highest grade of sake: refined, sophisticated, elegant,

an usually the most flavorful of all Sake types.

Banshu is the old name of the Harima Region in Hyogo, which is known for making the best Yamadanishiki. It was recently awarded GI Status. Fruity and gorgeous aroma of melon, Juicy & Fruity without being cloying.

Cho Tokusen is a special selection chosen from fermenting tanks that are particularly vigorous and go through a unique pasteurization technique, which after that goes into storage for maturation.

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #wine #vin #vino #wein #sake @juyondai #juyondai #juyondaisake #tastingnotes #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob

Unless stated otherwise, all right reserved ©LeDomduVin 2022 on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

LeDomduVin: Juyondai Sake

Juyondai Sake

Recently, I have been buying and serving a few sakes, more notably from "Juyondai", a well-known and estimated brand in the medium-to-high price range. I have previously posted a few pictures of the Juyondai Sakes that I have served, with brief descriptions, yet, I wanted to consolidate them into one post, to develop a little more on the subject of Sake (*) and this particular brand.  

Briefly, what is Sake? 

For those who are unacquainted with this beverage, Sake can be pretty hard to understand, as it is often categorized as a spirit, while it is not distilled and only contains about 13-17% of alcohol, so, it seems closer to wine, right? And yet, it goes through a brewing process like beer. So, what is it then? A spirit? A wine? A beer? 

Well... It is definitely not a beer. It may have the texture of certain spirits, and because it is usually served in a small ceramic glass, it might easily be mistaken for a clear spirit, such as Vodka, Gin, or Rhum. Yet, on the nose and palate, it smells and tastes more like wine.  

Sake is an alcoholic beverage brewed primarily from rice and water, similar to white wine in appearance, ranging from almost transparent to slightly yellow.  

"The term “sake” is often used in Japan to denote alcoholic beverages in general, including wine, beer and whisky. Sake itself is also called “Nihon-shu” or “sei-shu.” The element “shu” in these words is written with the same Chinese character as “sake” (酒). This character has the readings “sake,” “zake” or “shu.” “Nihon” means Japan, so “Nihon-shu” refers to the traditional alcoholic beverage of Japan. The “sei” in “sei-shu” means clear." - Courtesy of A Comprehensive Guide to Japanese Sake

In terms of chemical composition, sake extract (consisting mostly of residual sugars) contains a comparatively high percentage of glucose and significant levels of nitrogenous components and amino acids, but little organic acid, compared to beer and white wine.  

In terms of taste, sake is rather mild with little acidity, bitterness, or astringency. It is often softer, silkier, and more delicate than beer and white wine. Therefore, the pleasant taste of Sake cannot be characterized as sweet, acidic, bitter, or astringent, the word "Umami" is used instead. 

Umami is often described as “savoriness” (sweet and salty at the same time, if you prefer). It is one of the 5 basic tastes (as shown in the picture above).  And, compared to white wine and beer, sake is richer in amino acids and peptides that produce "umami". 

Yet, most sake, in general, and more especially the type of sake known as Ginjo has wonderfully fruity aromas on both nose and palate, and therefore, taste. Consequently, in general, most people speak about the level or degree of sweetness when tasting sake, rather than Umami.   

Basically, Sake is made from Japanese rice and water, going through a specific brewing technology designed to produce both "umami" and fruity flavors from rice.

How is Sake made? 

As a visual is worth a thousand words (and is often clearer to understand), here is one to help you understand how Sake is made.

  

Juyondai Chotokusen Banshu Yamadanishiki Junmai Daiginjo 

Work in Progress... 👀

Unless stated otherwise, all right reserved ©LeDomduVin 2022 on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).