Keigetsu Nigori Junmai Daiginjo 50
£29.95
The wine
Smooth and silky, with bold aromas of pineapple, mango and lychee. The palate is creamy and textured yet lively and refreshing.
Nigori is unfiltered sake, or rather coarsely filtered, so fine rice sediment stays in suspension and gives the cloudiness and the creamy texture. This is a junmai daiginjo, the top classification: junmai means no distilled alcohol added, daiginjo that the rice is polished to at least 50%. Here it is polished to exactly 50%, using Yamada Nishiki.
The producer
Keigetsu
View all Keigetsu winesKeigetsu is a family owned sake brewery in the mountains of Tosa Reihoku, in Japan's Kōchi Prefecture, making sake since 1877. It is run today by sixth generation head brewer Muneki Matsumoto from the original brewery building, now more than 140 years old. The name evokes the beautiful sight of the moon hanging over the nearby Katsurahama shore.
The sakes are made from organically grown local rice, chiefly Gin no Yume, Yamada Nishiki and the rare table variety Akitsuho. Matsumoto believes his local rice, grown within twelve kilometres of the brewery on terraced paddies at 300 to 600 metres, is perfectly suited to the region. The remote elevation and pure water from the source of the Yoshino River create ideal conditions for premium rice and yuzu alike.
The range is wide and expressive. It runs from the pure, dry Gin no Yume Junmai Daiginjo and the elegant, Kimoto brewed Sake Nature to the crystal clear John Sparkling Sake and the cloudy, tropical Nigori. A savoury Yamahai Junmai adds umami depth, while a vivid yuzu sake, made with hand squeezed Tosa yuzu, offers something quite different.
Precise, characterful and deeply tied to their mountain home, Keigetsu's sakes have earned trophies at the International Wine Challenge and beyond. They reward the curious and pair beautifully with food. This is premium Japanese sake at its very finest.
