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My Oriental Orangina: A Starter Saké of Immense Coolness
Posted on by Mark Oldman

Bulbous, blingy, and briskly refreshing, Kamotsura Gold saké is a splendid introduction to saké and makes for a singularly exotic gift.

180 ML                                          720 ML

While slurping my way through The Joy of Saké, a grand tasting of over 200 sakés (with nary a spit bucket in sight), I came upon a bottle of fasicincating form.  Its shape reminded me of a tear drop, or, if you will, a kind of Oriental Orangina, albeit a bit slimmer and, of course, devoid of any citrus sensation.

Intrigued, I took a sip, and was immediately charmed by its faint melony nose and dry, impeccably clean taste.  I was heartened to later discover that this libation, the Kamotsura Tokusei Gold saké, was just $14 a bottle and also a Gold Award Winner at the 2005 U.S. National Saké Appraisal.

Nuggets to know:

1) Saké is rice wine, an alcoholic drink brewed from rice and water.  Higher quality saké comes from rice kernels that have been “polished” or milled the most, so as to shave off the kernel’s less desirable outer part and get at the its starchy core, which is the good stuff that gets fermented.

2) Kamotsura Gold saké is one of Japan’s original Daiginjo (Die-gheen-joe) sakés, the highest category of sake in which rice kernels receive the most polishing before fermentation.

3) Premium saké is often served chilled, but not ice cold.  Low-end sake – such as the swill on tap at your local Benihana — is served hot to mask its less-than-ideal flavor.

sakéProducer: Kamotsura (Hiroshima, Japan)
Wine: Tokusei Gold Saké
Vintage: N/A
Cost: $12-$14/180 ml bottle
Track it down: www.lamtc.com

An excursion in purity, Kamotsura Gold has a subtle honeydew scent and tastes as clean as an alpine stream, its finish long, pleasant, and relatively intoxicating (16.4% alcohol vs. regular wine’s typical 11%-14%).

Happily, form matches function, as its bulbous bottle is capped by shiny gold foil, the kind probably used in Donald Drumpf’s refridgerator to cover leftovers.  Furthering the 24-karat theme, in each bottle floats one or two tiny gold flakes shaped like cherry blossoms, a fun touch that hopefully doesn’t evoke glazed-over Goldschlager benders experienced in college.

All of this, coupled with its gentle $12-$14 price, makes Kamotsura Gold a splendid gift for a casual soiree.  Even if you’re not a saké conoisseur, toting this mysterious potion to your next dinner party will make everyone else regret that they brought yet another yawn-worthy bottle of Pinot Grigio.

After searching without success for more bottles, I ended up cornering Kamotsura’s vice president, Akira Ihara, at a Japanese goods conference and discovered (through an interpreter) that Kamotsura Gold is imported to the U.S. by the Mutual Trading Co. (www.lamtc.com).  Through Mutual Trading, I learned that it is sold at New York’s Union Square Wines (212 675-8100) and Landmark Wines (212 242-2323).

According to Mutual Trading, it is also stocked at these locations in the the San Francisco Bay Area:

Marina Food 2992 So. Norfolk St., San Mateo
Mitsuwa Corp. 675 Saratoga Ave, San Jose
Super Mira 1790 Sutter ST., San Francisco
Super Tokio 251 Clement St., San Francisco
Kim’s Mart 636 4th St., Davis
Nijiya Market 1737 Post St., San Francisco
Uoki 1656 Post St., San Francisco
Dobashi Market 240 E. Jackson St., San Jose
Lion Food Ctr 471 Saratoga, San Jose
99 Ranch Market, Richmond

Unfortunately, the bold and beautiful 720 ml size of Kamotsura Gold is not yet imported to the U.S.  Resourceful drinkers, however, might be able to order it direct from Japanese department stores such as Mitsukoshi and Takashimaya.

Producer: Kamotsura (Hiroshima, Japan)

Wine: Tokusei Gold Saké

Vintage: N/A

Cost: $12-$14/180 ml bottle

Track it down: www.lamtc.com
An excursion in purity, Kamotsura Gold has a subtle honeydew scent and tastes as clean as an alpine stream, its finish long, pleasant, and relatively intoxicating (16.4% alcohol vs. regular wine’s typical 11%-14%).

Happily, form matches function, as its bulbous bottle is capped by shiny gold foil, the kind probably used in Donald Drumpf’s refridgerator to cover leftovers.  Furthering the 24-karat theme, in each bottle floats one or two tiny gold flakes shaped like cherry blossoms, a fun touch that hopefully doesn’t evoke glazed-over Goldschlager benders experienced in college.

All of this, coupled with its gentle $12-$14 price, makes Kamotsura Gold a splendid gift for a casual soiree.  Even if you’re not a saké conoisseur, toting this mysterious potion to your next dinner party will make everyone else regret that they brought yet another yawn-worthy bottle of Pinot Grigio.

After searching without success for more bottles, I ended up cornering Kamotsura’s vice president, Akira Ihara, at a Japanese goods conference and discovered (through an interpreter) that Kamotsura Gold is imported to the U.S. by the Mutual Trading Co. (www.lamtc.com).  Through Mutual Trading, I learned that it is sold at New York’s Union Square Wines (212 675-8100) and Landmark Wines (212 242-2323).

According to Mutual Trading, it is also stocked at these locations in the the San Francisco Bay Area:

Marina Food 2992 So. Norfolk St., San Mateo
Mitsuwa Corp. 675 Saratoga Ave, San Jose
Super Mira 1790 Sutter ST., San Francisco
Super Tokio 251 Clement St., San Francisco
Kim’s Mart 636 4th St., Davis
Nijiya Market 1737 Post St., San Francisco
Uoki 1656 Post St., San Francisco
Dobashi Market 240 E. Jackson St., San Jose
Lion Food Ctr 471 Saratoga, San Jose
99 Ranch Market, Richmond

Unfortunately, the bold and beautiful 720 ml size of Kamotsura Gold is not yet imported to the U.S.  Resourceful drinkers, however, might be able to order it direct from Japanese department stores such as Mitsukoshi and Takashimaya.

DRC Grands Echézeaux ’78: Parting the Feathers (Part II of DRC tasting)
Posted on by Mark Oldman

Vintage wine tasting in Silicon Valley, part deux: One of the wines at the aforementioned DRC tasting inspired the elaboration below.

Nugget to know:

When the stars align, wine can become something more than mere fermented grape juice.

vintage wineProducer: Domaine de la Romanee-Conti (Burgundy, France)
Wine: Grands Echézeaux
Vintage: 1978
Cost: priceless
Track it down: www.usmint.gov

Burgundy can be like a 1920’s feather dancer whose charms cajole, tempt, promise, but are maddeningly just out of sight. But the DRC Grands Echézeaux 1978 achieves the unachievable: it parts the feathers and allows a straight gape into the divine.

It is the “You are Here” of where fine wine becomes more than just fine wine. It creates a disjunction of experience, portaling the taster from the merely extraordinary to the supernal. After the wine is gone, even the lonely residue in the glass haunts the soul.

The aroma has a glowing intensity that rendered the other wines on the table, even a normally compelling Comte De Vogüé Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru 1997, blurred, indistinct, mortal. The first whiff of the DRC slays you with aromas found nowhere else. “How does this happen?” you wonder, breathing in Asian spices, rose petals, stewed prunes, and tilled soil. The combined effect is at once ferocious and finessed, a vinous Valhalla that astonishes the senses.
The texture combines the silk of a thousand spiders with a pleasurable grip on the palate. So commanding is this sensation that it remains tattooed on your tongue after you have drained your glass and brought your lucky bones home to bed. The next morning, it is still there — a final fading marker of having parted the feathers to witness, however briefly, divinity divined.

 

Learning One’s DRC’s (Part I of DRC tasting)
Posted on by Mark Oldman

Wine tasting in Silicon Valley: On a recent visit to Silicon Valley, I had the good fortune to attend a tasting of various vintages of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s La Tâche and Richebourg bottlings (’78, ’85, ’90, ’93) as well as other Burgundian treats. This surreal sampling of priceless gems provided a glimpse of life atop the Everest of vinous experience.

wine tasting silicon valley wine

For the uninitiated, three nuggets to know:

1) Domaine de la Romanée Conti is the ne plus ultra producer of red Burgundy and one of the world’s marquee names in wine.

2) The finest bottlings of mature Burgundy taste like nothing like your garden variety New World Pinot Noir (the sole grape comprising red Burgundy), instead offering a shifting kaleidoscope of berries, violets, rose petals, smoke, bacon, earth, and Asian spices.

3) Not every DRC selection we tasted lived up to the the producer’s aura and the wine’s astronomical price tag, proving that a wine’s deliciousness is not always corrolated with its prestige.  For example, the 1993 Richebourg, at least at this point in its development, had a somewhat muted nose and considerable tannic astrigency.  On the other hand, the 1978 La Tâche and the 1978 Richebourg were, well, simply electrifying, as was the 1985 Richebourg and the 1990, and the…

california wine

Value Viognier
Posted on by Mark Oldman

Value at its best: As novelist Jay McInerney put it in my book, Viognier “has a tropical garden nose that puts you in the mood for romance.” Unfortunately, good versions of this exotic, pulse-priming nectar often requires spending at least $25 a bottle retail, and sometimes much more, so for most people it is hardly an every day indulgence. A visit to New York’s new Mainland restaurant last night revealed a toothsome exception to this rule – the Domaine Triennes 2004 Viognier, a bargain at $14 retail and $35 on Mainland’s wine list.

Nuggets to know:

1) Viognier, with its tropical aromas and crème brulée texture, is a winning alternative to Chardonnay.

2) Viognier’s fruit-stand character is a delectable match with moderately spicy Chinese food, such as Mainland’s superlative Steamed Prawn and Bamboo Dumplings and crisp, flavor-packed Pork Potsickers.  (Mainland’s info: 1081 Third Avenue, at 64th Street, 212-888-6333).

value viognerProducer: Domaine de Triennes (France)
Wine: “Sainte Fleur” Viognier
Vintage: 2004
Cost: $14
Track it down: www.klwines.com/product.asp?sku=1016919

Classically Viognier, with intense aromas of apricots and honey combined with a creamy texture.  It is kept honest by more acidity than one typically sees in Viognier, making it refreshing and food-friendly.  A perfect crowd-pleaser for those seeking a full-bodied, personality-laden white; serve it at your next cocktail party.

 

Visiting Sonoma’s Siduri
Posted on by Mark Oldman

Image result for siduri vineyard

 

On a recent trip to Sonoma, California, I had the chance to stop by Siduri Vineyards.

Nuggets to know:

1) Siduri makes outstanding single-vineyard Pinot Noir, much of which is rendered in a ultra-ripe, high-alcohol, Californian style (as opposed to a more delicate Burgundian style).  They don’t grow their own grapes but source them from vineyards as north as Oregon’s Willamette Valley and as south as Santa Barbara’s Santa Rita Hills.

2) Visiting Siduri’s production facility is a singular experience.  Secreted away in an industrial park in the humble town of Santa Rosa, the warehouse-like setting is the furthest you can get from an idyllic vineyard – and that’s what makes it such a kick to visit.  Visits by appointment only.