Noguchi day

Lunch at a friend's place.

Noguchi Naohiko 88 Years Old Special Edition (農口尚彦 米寿記念限定品), Vol. 3, Bottle 339/888 - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 55%. nose was more medicinal, hospital disinfectant, very thick and viscous on the palate.

Noguchi Naohiko 88 Years Old Special Edition (農口尚彦 米寿記念限定品), Vol. 5, Bottle 341/888 - seimaibuai of 50%. More fruity on the nose, higher acidity, and thinner on the palate.

Noguchi Naohiko 01, 2017, Bottle 1168/5500 - lots of banana on the nose. Medium-bodied, kinda dry on the palate with a hint of sweetness. Thicker and more viscous.

Noguchi Naohiko 01, 2018, Bottle 1860/5500 - more spicy on the palate with bitterness on the finish. Later on some acidity showed up.

Yayoi Kusama La Grande Dame and Solaia

Dinner at Mosu Hong Kong.

2012 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin La Grande Dame, dégorgée fevrier 2020 - a nice bit of yeast on the nose, and very nice and perfumed.

2008 Solaia - served 2 hours after decanting. Wow! Nice with lots of coconut butter, very sweet on the nose, and also smoky and minty.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sake night with Grande Cuvée

Dinner at Nikushou.

Aramasa (新政) No. 6 10th Anniversary Edition Nicholas Buffe-type, 2021 - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 55%. Sweet on the front but the sparkling nature made it dry and bitter on the finish.

Gikyo Junmai Daiginjo Tae (義侠 純米大吟醸 妙), R2BY - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 30%. A blend of sake aged for minimum of 5 years. Very thick and viscous on the palate. Thought the attack was sweet at first but this turned dry, with good depth and length and a bitter finish. Plenty of banana on the nose.

2021 Obuse Winery Riz à Saké Naturel - seimaibuai of 70%. Balanced on the palate with a mild bitterness.

Ishizuchi Junmai Daiginjo ∫ -Integral- (石鎚 純米大吟醸 インテグラル) - seimaibuai of 33%. Really fragrant, with a slightly fruity acidity on the nose. Crisp with a light body. Very nice.

Jikon Kimoto Akaiwa Omachi (自今 きもと 赤磐雄町), 2020 - seimaibuai of 50%. Soft and velvety on the palate, much sweeter, too.

Daishichi Myoukarangyoku Grande Cuvée (大七 妙花蘭曲 グランド キュヴェ), 2019 version, released in 2020 - popped for 5 minutes around 12 hours before drinking, then opened about 3 hours before drinking. Nose showed fermented, savory notes. Soft on the palate upfront, a little bit sweet on the attack but actually dry on the palate. Elegant and complex.

Kokuryu Daiginjo No. 88 (黒龍 大吟醸 八十八号), H20BY - aged for 13 years after release. Really rich and fermented flavors of rice. Very viscous and very rich on the palate. Also surprisingly sweet on the palate.

Italian night

Dinner at Estro.

Jeaunaux-Robin Brut Rosé Le Dessous de la Cabane - lovely on the nose, with nice strawberries and red fruits. Good balance on the palate.

2016 Emidio Pepe Trebbiano d'Abruzzo - served after 25 minutes in decanter. Pretty toast nose, but surprisingly ripe and round on the palate, without much acidity. A bit more body, and about 45 minutes in there was a bit more bitterness on the finish.

2016 Vietti Barolo Castiglione - ripe fruit, sweet on the nose, so fragrant with a little leather.

Full post on dinner is here.

06 Arietta Variation One

Drinking at home.

2006 Arietta Variation One - served 30 minutes after decanting. Still a little 'hot' on the palate, a little sharp, with nice notes of potpourri, forest, ripe fruit, black cherries, and cassis. After almost 3 hours in the decanter, this was showing some leather, smoke, and eucalyptus. Pretty nice.

Dewazakura Oshidori

Dinner at Ishiyama.

Dewazakura Yukimegami Junmai Daiginjo Oshidori (出羽桜  雪女神  純米大吟醸  鴛鴦), 2022 - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 48%. Initially kinda dry on the palate, but actually fairly rounded. Slightly sweet on the atack, and with food this became much softer on the palate, without being dry and spicy like it was at first. Fermented rice notes. After 1 hour and with food, still sweet on the front palate but developed a slight bitterness on the finish.

Chavost and BOND

Dinner at Louise.

JM Sélèque Solessence, dégorgée septembre 2021 - kinda closed at first, opened to be opulent, with a tiny bit of flint on the nose and reasonable ripeness on the palate. Acidity was there starting from mid-palate after about 30 minutes in the glass. Opened further to show a little marmalade, and another 10 minutes later this was more grippy on the finish.

2019 Chavost Coteaux Champenois Blanc - decanted and served right away. Very, very heavy toast... actually I joked that I felt like I was chomping on a plank of toasted oak. Flint, really big and powerful on the palate. With lots of green apple, surprisingly. Grippy on the palate. Really needs time to mellow out a little.

2001 BOND Melbury - served 1 hour after decanting. Very sweet nose with plenty of coconut butter, tropical and exotic nose, and also vanilla oak. First few sips still felt kinda tannic. Softened up to drink very nicely, and showing its elegance. Pretty minty, too.

Full post on dinner is here.

Bornard and Bonneau

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2009 Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, dégorgée avril 2018 - a bit more toasty than last night's bottle, with slightly higher acidity, and a little tart on the finish.

2015 Philippe Bornard Arbois Pupillin Melon Le Rouge-queue - very big and toasty nose, flinty, and dry on the palate.

2003 Henri Bonneau Cuvée Marie Beurrier, en magnum - interesting nose of dried herbs and a little polyurethane. Still pretty fruity on the palate, with some leather notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

Dom Ruinart and Rihaku

Dinner at Hidden.

2009 Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, dégorgée mars 2018 - good acidity, nice balance.

Rihaku Daijinjo Tobingakoi (李白大吟釀斗瓶囲い), 2019, #1690 - nice and soft on the palate, very well-balanced. Not sweet but also not too dry, perhaps because of a couple of years' of aging.

Kuraka 栗 - very creamy, very sweet.

Full post on dinner is here.

Winter sake pairing

Dinner at Godenya.

Beau Michelle Snow Fantasy (ボー・ミッシェル スノーファンタジー うすにごり生原酒), 2022 - served at 10°C. Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 60%. Fizzy and fruity, good acidity that reminds one of lactic acid. Always pairs well with smoky monkfish liver.

Tedorigawa Shukon Junmai Daiginjo Nama (手取川 酒魂  純米大吟醸  特醸あらばしり), R3BY - served at 13%. Seimaibuai of 45%. This seemed more viscous, a little more round on the palate, with a sweet attack but turned a little dry.

Sogen Junmai Hattannishiki Unfiltered Nama (宗玄 純米 八反錦 無濾過生原酒), 2022 - served at 42°C. Seimaibuai of 55%. Served pretty warm which was comforting. Nose was kinda citrusy with marmalade notes.

Hoken Nakagumi Junmai Daiginjo (寳劔 中汲み 純米大吟醸), 2022 - served at 15°C. Seimaibuai of 40%. A little round on the palate. Just a little sweet upfront but gets pretty dry with a spicy finish.

Mukyotenon Kimoto Junmai Daiginjo (無窮天穏 齋香 生酛純米吟醸 佐香錦), R2BY - served at 23°C. Seimaibuai of 50%. Slightly warm, with fruity notes.

Hiwata Yamahai Junmai Daiginjo (日輪田  山廃純米大吟醸), R1BY - served at 18°C. Seimaibuai of 45%. A little dry mid-palate.

Jyuji Asahi Junmai Ginjo Genshu (十旭日 純米吟醸原酒), H21BY - served at 48°C. Seimaibuai of 55%. Served very warm to bring out all those fermented flavors that come with aging. Love it.

Full post on dinner is here.