NV HEAVENSAKE Junmai Daiginjo Yamagata 750 ml

The incredible HEAVENSAKE Junmai Daiginjo has won top honors from critics worldwide. Sommeliers and restaurateurs have spoken too: HEAVENSAKE is a standby at MICHELIN-starred hotspots including New York’s Sushi Nakazawa, Hakkasan, Yuba, and Tao.

But we didn’t discover this otherworldly sake at a fancy, ten-course omakase—this bottle stole the show at the 2019 San Francisco International Wine Competition in a head-to-head blind tasting of Japan’s finest. It overflowed with an exotic aromatic complexity that gave way to a palate accented by lush fruit and river-rock minerality. 

After the judging, we waited for what seemed like an eternity to see who made the mystery bottle. Finally, the HEAVENSAKE Junmai Daiginjo, the lone sake that combines the talents of Japan’s #1 brewer with Champenoise expertise and finesse, was revealed. 

HEAVENSAKE is a partnership between Champagne winemaker Regis Camus and the famed sake brewery Dassai, which produces some of the world’s most coveted sakes—bottles that easily command $700. HEAVENSAKE takes the Dassai approach—using the highest-quality Yamadanishiki rice, local Yamagata water, and proprietary filtering techniques—and melds it with Champenoise blending artistry to craft a sake that bears the quality of a true tête-de-cuvée and matches beautifully with sushi, classic European fare, or other foods.

This sake is silky, elegant, and memorable, with a bright platinum hue in the glass. It announces itself as something special with its first aromas, led by mandarin blossoms cascading through a handful of jasmine blossoms and spice. The palate is elegant and elevated by layers of crushed limestone minerality embraced by lemon curd, tension, and a cleansing acidity. It’s simply irresistible.