NV Imayo Tsukasa BLACK Junmai Niigata 750 ml

When it comes to the Imayo Tsukasa Black sake—a crystalline expression of Japan’s finest terroir—superlatives are the only way to describe it. This is a gorgeous, modern sake that will change how you think about the category, whether you enjoy it from a wide-bowled Burgundy stem or a traditional clay ochoko.
 

A favorite in Japan and poured in a handful of MICHELIN-starred restaurants in Europe, like Bonn’s Yunico and Berlin’s Tim Raue, this sake is a dazzling wine made to impress on the table.

Crystal clear, the BLACK junmai practically glows in the glass, before delicate aromas of apricot, white flowers, and white pepper unfold. Across the palate, the sake is exhilarating, bouncing from vivacious citrus zest flavors to somber slate-mineral notes reminiscent of top Rieslings. A lengthy and soft umami finish begs for another sip. We’ve tasted Imayo BLACK with everything from takeout tacos to roasted chicken, grilled steaks, and lobster tails and its light- to medium-body makes it a chameleonesque bottling that will wow on your table too.

The brewery is a classic Feng shui space in the heart of Niigata city, but that’s where the similarities to other breweries end. Inside, everything at Imayo is done in micro-batches, allowing the Imayo team to fine-tune each bottling and experiment with various koji to give each wine its indescribable edge. In this junmai, the team employs gohyakomangoku rice—a top-tier strain unique to the region—and trucks pristine spring water into the city from 30 miles away. Together, this makes for a wine as pure as mountain snow yet has the complexity of a masterful mountain Cabernet.

No matter how you enjoy it, this bottle is an occasion unto itself.