Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Fuji-Takasago Brewery-SOLEIL Daiginjo

Sometimes, actually more often than thought, sake brewers do have a special feeling for wine and present their best sake in the same fashion!

Fuji-Takasago brewery in Fujinomiya City goes as far as present it with a very special box for collectors!

The Missus has already put her hands on that particular box!
Actually “SOLEIL”, meaning “SUN” in French, has been produced as very special brand every year and is naturally very limited.
Incidentally there is not a single mistake in the French label!

Rice milled down to 35%
Alcohol: 15,5 degrees
Bottled in September 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Light golden hue
Aroma: Assertive. Fruity and dry. Alcohol. Banana, pineapple
Body: fluid, slightly sirupy
Taste: Strong pleasant alcohol accompanying fruity attack.
Nuts: chestnuts, walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts.
Ends fairly quickly on a dry coffee beans,banana and dark chocolate note.
Elegant in spite of its fairly strong attack.
Complex with facets surging from nowhere.
Turns drier with food and takes a back step with heavy fare but marries well akin to a slightly dry wine.

Overall: Quite extravagant!
Mind you, it is a daiginjo created in a very peculiar fashion with rice milled all the way down to 35%, an extremely low level!
Probably best appreciated on its own like a fine mild/moelleux white wine.
Its very nutty taste would make would make for a beautiful liqueur slightly chilled.
Actually, I would recommend it instead of a wine to go with chocolate or cheese.
All in all, you couldn’t beat it as a nightcap in very special company!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Kraemer’s Culinary blog by Frank Kraemer in New York,Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento, Hapabento, Kitchen Cow, Lunch In A Box, Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in kanzai by Nevitt Reagan!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City