2020 Kamoshibito Kuheiji Eau du Desir Junmai Daiginjo

The first sake that we thought we would try from our Hawaii stash was this 2020 Kamoshibito Kuheiji Eau du Desir Junmai Daiginjo. Nadine suggested this sake which is made like a wine and has a vintage date of 2020. We paired the sake with a selection of sushi that we bought from a local supermarket. I know, real travesty. But it was better than nothing. Since we decided on the spur of the moment to have sushi and sake, we didn't chill the sake to the right temperature and it was about 54 ^oF when we tried it. The aroma was of green apples with a nice smooth finish and it did go very well with the sushi. We decided to leave a good bit of the sake so that we could chill it in the frig and have it at another time.
The next time we had the sushi, we made local food. Teriyaki chicken and our take on gon lo mein with lots of vegetables and char siu. The sake was at the correct temperature, around 42 ^oF. At this temperature, the sake tasted crisp, again with a green apple nose and flavor and it was smooth. It did go very well with the Hawaiian food!
I had to look online for information on this sake and learn more about it. I found a really good write up at Sake Lovers What’s the secrets of great Premium Sake Kuheiji? First of all, the sake brewery, Banjou Jouzou, has been in operation since 1647 in Nagoya city, Aichi Prefecture. During post-war Japan, Banjou Jouzou was mass producing sake but since 1996 switched their production to focus on quality and now only produce the premium sake, Junmai Dai Ginjo.

I then used Google translate to go to the Kuheiji Site itself. Kuno Kuheiji is the 15th generation sake maker. On the Kuheiji Site, he says that sake is all about the rice. He wanted to marry the farming of rice to the making of sake and in 2010, he accomplished his goal of growing rice for the production of sake. Much like vineyards and terroir, Kuno is all about rice fields and location. His three rice fields in Kurodasho (Hyogo Prefecture) include Kadoyanagi, Tadaka and Fukuchi. There follows lengthy explanations of the soil types in the three rice fields. I spent some time clicking through all of the information that was on the website. The photos of the rice fields were beautiful and it even showed photos of grape vines in Morey Saint Denis. Kuno's philosophy can be encapsulated in the line on their website: "Ripe fruit flavor, elegance, kindness and nostalgia".
Yup, I can relate.
References:
1. Sake Lovers What’s the secrets of great Premium Sake Kuheiji?, Leo, January 19, 2017.
2. Kuheiji Website.
3. Kuheiji, Kuno, Japan Stories, KUHEIJI-Elegance mixed with depression and humility-, August 18, 2022.