Tamagawa Aged Junmai Daiginjo "Heart of the Sun"

The nose on Philip Harper’s deepest Junmai Daiginjo is a stellar collection of berries and cream, rock sugar, cake frosting, condensed milk, fig, chocolate covered cherries, and sugar cone aromas. Sake is a process, and each maker creates a process for you to taste a style that they achieve. Philip aged this sake four years to achieve that blend of fruit tones and umami to create a balance or “sake harmony.” Rich-light, slippery, weighty, viscous, round, velvety, juicy, and solid, this Daiginjo is a “glider” on the palate as the aging fills out the depth of the fluid. Look for pear, apple compote, ripe tomato, pie crust, lemon cream, tangerine, clover, apricot, persimmon, and sweet rice flavors that co-mingle with a plump, umami backbone. This is a wine connoisseur's sake that drinks with a complexity and richness that speaks to those who love umami in high-end fashioned brews and works so well with rich and full-bodied cuisines. WORD: Aged WINE: Deep Reds/Complex Whites BEER: Belgian Ales FOODS: Sushi, sashimi, French and Italian fare, fowl, game, beef, and anything from the sea.