One of the representatives from Tatenokawa flew in from Japan and wanted to meet us earlier this week and have us try a few new items. One of the items they unveiled to us was the 2022 Soube Wase Junmai Daiginjo, a new vintage Sake they are making, and it is fantastic. As we have stated before, Tatenokawa was founded in 1832 when the head of the Uesugi clan first visited Shonai, located between Akita and Niigata prefecture, and was mesmerized by the quality of the water, knowing it would be an incredible basis for great Sake. Their production and renown peaked in 1855 when they gifted a bottle to the Daimyo of the Shonai Clan, Sakai Tadakatsu, who christened the name Tatenokawa, or Castle Brook.
Tatenokawa, since the very beginning, has been set on producing the most sensational Sake possible, and their steadfast philosophy for the best has afforded them the ability to make legendary Sake with meticulous attention to detail.
Some might recall the name Soube Wase, the same rice used to make the incredible "Nehan Black" we have previously offered and the namesake of this new bottling. Soube Wase was a strain of heirloom rice from Yamagata prefecture that nearly went extinct 150 years ago and the only remaining examples were in the form of seeds held at the Japanese Seedbank. Tatenokawa spent five years cultivating this ancient variety in their fields to the point where it could be used for production. Soube Wase is complicated to cultivate and harvest, which is why it was lost to the ages, abandoned like many other heirloom varieties, and replaced by Yamada Nishiki, which is much easier to cultivate. The problem with using Yamada Nishiki today is it has become relatively homogeneous across many breweries and doesn't have the unique character Soube Wase does.
Soube Wase offers a very rich, complex, elegant drinking experience with a lovely level of umami and while Junmai Daiginjo can be slightly sweeter than the lower classification levels, it is complemented here by unparalleled acidity and brings tremendous energy to the fold.
Tatenokawa is the only brewery in Japan that cultivates and brews Sake from Soube Wase, and they were explicit in saying that they had no intentions of letting anyone else acquire this rice. They said if someone wanted to grow Soube Wase, they would have to do what they did and grow it from seed. After perfecting the rice and successfully trying it out in their Nehan Black bottling, they wanted to showcase more of their Soube Wase. They created this new bottling that follows the same premise but at a different polishing rate, 45% (compared to 18% for Nehan Black), which brings the cost down a bit as 18% polish takes over a month to complete. The result is a brilliant bottle of Sake that has a great aromatic expression of white-fleshed fruit, steamed rice, wild grasses, white flowers, and a savory, earthier aroma that adds a lot of complexity. The palate showcases the balance of elegance and richness with a mouth-coating river that echos the nose and has some impressive weight across the mid-palate with incredible purity, a delicious umami character, and mouth-watering acidity. It's a beautiful example, and while it's not as laser-focused, pure, and powerful as the Nehan Black, it's still terrific and could be considered a Premier Cru while Nehan Black is a Grand Cru.
Like Nehan Black, Soube Wase is a Tatenokawa's attempt at a more vinous example of Sake, and the Representative stated Soube Wase is meant to age (which is why it has a vintage) and needs ample time to open up, only getting better as it gets more oxygen.
Soube Wase is limited to 2,000 bottles a year, and only 30 bottles were imported into the USA, with the rest mainly going to the Asian market. We have 18 of those bottles and are currently the only retailer in the USA to carry this new product. The 2022 Soube Wase just landed from Japan this past Friday and is very limited. If you enjoy the '18' or Nehan Black from Tatenokawa, this is another fantastic choice and comes highly recommended.
2022 Tatenokawa Soube Wase Junmai Daiginjo 720ml
2022 Tatenokawa Soube Wase Junmai Daiginjo 720ml
$129.99
$129.99
One of the representatives from Tatenokawa flew in from Japan and wanted to meet us earlier this week and have us try a few new items. One of the items they unveiled to us was the 2022 Soube Wase Junmai Daiginjo, a new vintage Sake they are making, and it is fantastic. As we have stated before, Tatenokawa was founded in 1832 when the head of the Uesugi clan first visited Shonai, located between Akita and Niigata prefecture, and was mesmerized by the quality of the water, knowing it would be an incredible basis for great Sake. Their production and renown peaked in 1855 when they gifted a bottle to the Daimyo of the Shonai Clan, Sakai Tadakatsu, who christened the name Tatenokawa, or Castle Brook.
Tatenokawa, since the very beginning, has been set on producing the most sensational Sake possible, and their steadfast philosophy for the best has afforded them the ability to make legendary Sake with meticulous attention to detail.
Some might recall the name Soube Wase, the same rice used to make the incredible "Nehan Black" we have previously offered and the namesake of this new bottling. Soube Wase was a strain of heirloom rice from Yamagata prefecture that nearly went extinct 150 years ago and the only remaining examples were in the form of seeds held at the Japanese Seedbank. Tatenokawa spent five years cultivating this ancient variety in their fields to the point where it could be used for production. Soube Wase is complicated to cultivate and harvest, which is why it was lost to the ages, abandoned like many other heirloom varieties, and replaced by Yamada Nishiki, which is much easier to cultivate. The problem with using Yamada Nishiki today is it has become relatively homogeneous across many breweries and doesn't have the unique character Soube Wase does.
Soube Wase offers a very rich, complex, elegant drinking experience with a lovely level of umami and while Junmai Daiginjo can be slightly sweeter than the lower classification levels, it is complemented here by unparalleled acidity and brings tremendous energy to the fold.
Tatenokawa is the only brewery in Japan that cultivates and brews Sake from Soube Wase, and they were explicit in saying that they had no intentions of letting anyone else acquire this rice. They said if someone wanted to grow Soube Wase, they would have to do what they did and grow it from seed. After perfecting the rice and successfully trying it out in their Nehan Black bottling, they wanted to showcase more of their Soube Wase. They created this new bottling that follows the same premise but at a different polishing rate, 45% (compared to 18% for Nehan Black), which brings the cost down a bit as 18% polish takes over a month to complete. The result is a brilliant bottle of Sake that has a great aromatic expression of white-fleshed fruit, steamed rice, wild grasses, white flowers, and a savory, earthier aroma that adds a lot of complexity. The palate showcases the balance of elegance and richness with a mouth-coating river that echos the nose and has some impressive weight across the mid-palate with incredible purity, a delicious umami character, and mouth-watering acidity. It's a beautiful example, and while it's not as laser-focused, pure, and powerful as the Nehan Black, it's still terrific and could be considered a Premier Cru while Nehan Black is a Grand Cru.
Like Nehan Black, Soube Wase is a Tatenokawa's attempt at a more vinous example of Sake, and the Representative stated Soube Wase is meant to age (which is why it has a vintage) and needs ample time to open up, only getting better as it gets more oxygen.
Soube Wase is limited to 2,000 bottles a year, and only 30 bottles were imported into the USA, with the rest mainly going to the Asian market. We have 18 of those bottles and are currently the only retailer in the USA to carry this new product. The 2022 Soube Wase just landed from Japan this past Friday and is very limited. If you enjoy the '18' or Nehan Black from Tatenokawa, this is another fantastic choice and comes highly recommended.
