Homare Shu Junmai Blue

Homare Shu Junmai Blue is a junmai sake made in Massachusetts and listed under the Esplanda name. Junmai is a legal category: the sake is brewed from rice, water, koji and yeast, with no added distilled alcohol or sugar. Styles like this usually have a soft, rounded texture and a savory, rice-forward character. Expect notes of steamed rice, melon or pear, and a faint nutty or mushroom-like savoriness, with moderate acidity and a clean, slightly dry finish. Sake has no tannin and no oak influence, so the structure comes from the rice, not wood. The label doesn't give a polishing ratio, alcohol level or tasting notes, so treat those descriptors as what the category suggests, not as measurements of this bottle. Junmai suits a wide range of food. It works well with sushi and sashimi, grilled or salted fish, yakitori, tempura, and dumplings. Its savory depth also holds up to mushroom dishes, miso-glazed vegetables and roast chicken. Mild soft cheeses like fresh mozzarella or young goat cheese make a good match too. For very spicy dishes, the rounded body helps soften some of the heat. Serve it lightly chilled, around 45 to 55°F, or let it sit out of the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes if it comes out very cold, since the rice character shows more as it warms a little. Many junmai sakes also take well to gentle warming to about 100 to 110°F, so you can try this one both ways. Don't decant it. Pour it into a small ceramic cup for tradition, or into a stemmed white wine glass, whose bowl lets the aromas gather. Treat this as a drink-now bottle. Unlike wine, sake generally doesn't improve with cellaring. Keep it in the fridge, away from light, once opened, and finish it within a few days, since the freshness fades quickly.