Myasaka Brewing Company
Masumi is one of the great names of the sake world, admired throughout Japan for its satisfying taste and unshakeable, down-to-earth reliability. The brewery where it is made was founded in 1662 in the town of Suwa, where a tradition of precision craftsmanship had led to the development of the silk spinning trade. Attention to detail remains at the heart of the Masumi brewing philosophy to this day.
In 1920, the brewery's president, Masaru Miyasaka, appointed a 28-year-old sake prodigy named Chisato Kubota to the position of brewmaster. The two travelled throughout Japan in the manner of Zen monks, "knocking on the door of the master and seeking knowledge." This keen desire to elevate the quality of Masumi sake, combined with a shared openness of mind, was rewarded in 1936 when Miyasaka Brewing Company won the first of many top honors at the Japan National Sake Appraisal.
Masumi achieved even greater prominence in 1946 when brewmaster Kubota, discovering a lovely aroma emanating from one of the brewery's fermentation tanks, requested that an expert from the National Research Institute of Brewing be called in for consultation. Samples were taken and it was soon confirmed that a new yeast variety, Association No. 7, had been discovered.
In the sake world, discovering a new yeast is like receiving the Nobel Prize, and only a handful of breweries enjoy this distinction. With its gentle, pleasing aroma and ease of use, No. 7 soon spread beyond Nagano Prefecture, and today continues to be used by over half of the breweries in Japan. In 2002, Masumi released a redolent, old-style sake with an insouciant 21st-century attitude called "Nanago" (No. 7) in tribute to the famous microorganism to whom the sake world owes so much.
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COLOR Deep, dark brick red to blood plum
AROMAS A seamless blend of crème de cassis, hazelnut, cocoa, blackberry preserves, a charry meat toastiness, dark fruits and blackberry pie along with suggestions of dark licorice, stewed rhubarb, strawberry, spice and vanillin.
PALATE Rich and satisfying with chocolate brownie, yogurt, molasses, brown sugar and rhubarb notes presented in perfect balance with higher-toned fruit emphasis.
STRUCTURE The wine’s weight is first felt on the front of the palate but then coats the entire mouth with placating tannin and a light, pleasing grittiness. This weight, ideally counterpoised alongside the acid, leaves the mouth watering. Great persistence on the finish.
Dark ruby red in the glass, with rich notes of chocolate, black currant, ripe blackberry, and marionberry with hints of toasted oak and dark cherry on the nose. The palate is rich and complex with flavors of ripe dark fruits, chocolate cherry, plum, toffee, and blackberry pie. This wine has a lingering fruit-forward finish with firm acidity and smooth velvety tannins. A classic yet complex Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
Bellevue Cotes de Bordeaux-Castillon Vieilles Vignes 2020 is 65% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc.
Average age of the vines is 40 years old.
The wine offers a rich and intense bouquet of blackcurrant, blackberry and strawberry.
It is smooth and full in the mouth with a velvety texture. Acidity combined with firm but well-integrated tannins are a fine supporting cast to the black fruit flavors at the end.