NV Minenohakubai King of Modern Light Junmai Ginjo Niigata (Yellow) 750 ml

It took two years, more than 30,000 miles in the air, and 16 generations for one of the best sakes we’ve ever tasted to make it stateside. It was worth the wait. Once you take the first sip of this elegant, layered sake that has all the complexity of great Bordeaux blanc or Grand Cru Chablis, we know you’ll be just as in love as we are.

We first tasted this at a sake festival in Japan. The King of Modern Light’s stunning packaging stopped us dead in our tracks—but we were even more smitten with the sake itself.

It’s crafted from a rare strain of rice that possesses more acidity than most, making this tiny-production sake mouthwatering and long on the palate. When our team here in Napa tasted it, they were speechless. 

Produced by the 16th-generation Mineno Hakubai Shuzo, we immediately knew that Wine Access members would love it. We asked the owner if he exported it to the US. “We want to just keep it here,” he said. “We don’t make enough to export.”

After we left Japan, we kept trying to convince the family to export it, only to be rebuffed each time—until one day, the phone rang. 

“We’ll do it," he said.

The head brewer had appreciated our persistence. Between our last visit and his call, he had done his due diligence and realized that Wine Access was the perfect partner to introduce his family’s sake to the United States. 

It may have taken two years, but the sake that haunted us from the moment we first tasted it is finally stateside. We can’t wait to share it with you.