Kimoto Junmai - 2019 - Sake Matsunotsukasa

The rice used here is polished to 65%, leaving only the heart of the grain for fermentation, concentrating the aromas while preserving purity and elegance. It comes directly from local and partner farms, grown either organically or using sustainable practices, in Ryuou, the village where the brewery is located. The main variety cultivated is Yamada Nishiki, renowned for its exceptional quality in sake production.

The water used in brewing this sake is drawn from 120 meters deep, sourced from the Echigawa River, which originates in the Suzuka mountain range.

This junmai sake is made using the traditional kimoto method, a true return to the roots of sake brewing. In this ancestral process, wooden casks are filled with steamed rice—both natural and inoculated with koji, a filamentous mold essential for converting the rice starch into fermentable sugars. Koji is also used in many traditional Japanese foods, such as miso, mirin, and soy sauce.

Brewery workers then pound and mix the rice by hand using a technique called yama oroshi, creating the starter batch, or moto. This mixture is left exposed in the brewery, allowing ambient yeast to take hold naturally and begin fermentation. The yama oroshi technique creates an optimal environment for yeast to thrive, promoting the most vigorous strains to ferment the sake fully, without the need to suppress other microorganisms.

The rice then ferments for 18 to 32 days, during which the liquid separates from the rice. The sake is then pressed manually through large cloth bags, filtered, and aged for approximately two years before bottling in February 2021, with a slight addition of water to reach an alcohol level of 15%.

The Matsunotsukasa sakes sold on the Cave Pur Jus website are imported into France by SARL Le Clos du Tue-Bœuf.