Terroirs of sake

Chief brewer Keizou Ishida with farmers

Ryūō (Shiga prefecture)
Sake is made with rice and water, and while the quality and purity of the water part is easily measured, this is more difficult for rice because its culture nationwide usually implies chemicals, fertilizers and herbicide. To get a supply of clean rice, Matsuse shuzo has put in place partnerships with several farmers so they won't use fertilizers, chemicals or herbicide along the growing season. What helped also are the incentives by the Shiga authorities toward a cleaner agriculture using much less chemicals, as nearby Lake Biwa is the largest freshwater lake in Japan into which 400 rivers & streams flow, providing drinking water for about 15 million people in the Kansai region, including Kyoto, Osaka & Kobe. Working without chemicals or with much less chemicals takes more manpower (like for taking out weeds by hand) which is why some growers are reluctant, but thanks to the few contracted farmers they work with, Matsuse got the "Certification for environmentally friendly agricultural products" [環境こだわり農産物認証].

The farmers are also encouraged to put in place new farming methods allowing to handle this organic culture, like leaving the rice paddies under water in winter and avoiding to touch the soil, both things being known for enhancing naturally the growth of microorganisms and reinstating the natural exchange ecosystem. But given the interconnection of rice paddies belonging to different farmers it is sometimes difficult to leave a rice field under water when its neighbors don't do it, there must be arrangements on a case-by-case basis concerning the watertightness of the dikes and the access to the drains.

These changes mean a lot because they allow to have the local terroir to be an important part in the end sake, instead of only buying rice from faraway regions (like the Hyogo prefecture famed for its Yamada Nishiki rice). For that purpose the brewery contracts with local farmers with rice paddies sitting on different types of soils which will translate into really different sake, reinstating a notion of terroir/localness that was certainly the norm centuries ago when breweries would use locally-grown rice.
Illustration pictures on the sides : farmers spotted at work in the valley that day (not the ones who work for Matsuse shuzo).

First terroir

Chief brewer Keizou drove me to a first terroir a couple kilometers from the brewery, this field belongs to a contracted farmer who sell them the rice. He works with 3 farmers in the area but it is not enough, he wants to find more organic growers but convincing them to convert is difficult because of the added manpower charge. Keizou says that the Matsuse brewery considers buying a new weeds-removing machine with the aim to rent it to the present and potential contracted farmers, this will make the coinversion to organic farming easier for them. Their individual farming surface is too small to justify the purchase of such expensive machinery, and by buying one itself, the brewery would play the role of a CUMA in France, these self-styled coop ownership which allow artisan vignerons to share the costs of heavy machinery.

This first rice field we visit lies near the village of Kayocho, it belongs to the couple of farmers pictured on top, Mr Yoshihiro Ishida & his wife, they drove here in their mini truck when they saw us from afar (i love these tiny micro-trucks the farmers use in Japan, so cute). Coincindently these farmers are the parents of young brewery worker Mahiro whom we saw in the previous story carrying a bag of soaked rice. These farmers farm organic for the rice they sell to the Matsuse brewery but not all their surface is organic, the reason being all these weeds he would have to remove manually if all his other parcels were to be converted.

Thick clay

Here they grow Yamade Nishiki rice. As you can see this soil can be considered pure, thick clay. The valley around may look uniform at a superficial glance but the soil is not homogenous, there are indeed different types of soil around here, with often some sand, either in the deeper layer or distributed uniformly in the clay. It is known that here, Yamade Nishiki rice prefers heavy clay, blue-colored clay. Here the rice is not grown under water, it can be considered dry grown. The yields here were too low in the last season (2018), and so they used in addition another parcel with similar blue clay in the area of Hachimoto.

2nd terroir

We then drove a bit further in the valley and Keizou stopped the car along a rice field they're buying the rice from, in the outskirts of a village named Yamanove. Keizou did some digging with his shovel to look at the soil there, and it's obviously different compared to the first one, here there's noticeable traces of sand, of tiny mineral debris. He says the roots can go up to 1,3 meter deep here, which is not the case when you leave water in the field year around, in that case of course the roots stay at the surface and will not go down. On the picture on left you can definetely see by yourself the sand in the clay. They also grow Yamade Nishiki on this parcel, making the terroir comparison very relevant.

To further respect the terroir approach of these cuvées, they're using water from nearby the fields, here for example from a well sitting near the shrine/temple (pictured on right) in this village. They use a truck to bring two 500-liter tanks that will be used to make the batch of sake. They analyzed the water and it is slightly different from their well at the brewery, the mountains are closer of this field & village, the water coming from there along a light slope.

Third terroir

Here this third (Yamade Nishiki) rice field they're sourcing the rice from lies very close from the foothills and mountain range which you can see in the background, it's on the outskirts of the village of Yamanaka and here we will see that the clayish soil is even futher on the sand & gravel side, with a friable texture when you take the earth sample in your fingers. The water in the area contains some iron according to the lab tests made from a well they found, and water with iron is not suited for sake making, so they're looking for another, deeper well in the area and until they find the right one they use the brewery well. Keizou says they'll bring water samples to the lab from different depths until they find the right water table with minimal iron content. These water tables are not really connected and their respective water composition is quite different, surprisingly (for someone like me who isn't an hydrogeologist).
There was a creek running on the other side along the narrow road and Keizou descended in its shallow bed to gauge the soil profile there too (picture on right), it was obviously very sandy/gravely, and the closeness of the mountains play an important role I guess, with all this rain water bringing down tiny rock debris.

Weird tractor

As we were driving back to the brewery, we passed a large farm, it is the one that owns the Yamanoe rice field, they had also this Yanmar tractor over there, a crawler tractor that must be very efficient in muddy conditions, it is not for rice growing though but for beans, which they also grow around here. The farm also holds the machinery to dry the rice, and it is a very qualitative machine which a smart system that ejects the lower-quality grains. This stage is little known but it is also very important. The farm also has some vineyard, they sell the grapers to nearby Hitomi winery.

Tasting terroir #3

Back at the brewery, we tasted the three resulting sake made in 2018 from these distinct terroirs, these are the blue labels of Matsuse which sake amateurs should try one after the other because they're offering a direct experience of terroir, something which is still not well understood among the sake amateurs. It is a palate-opening experience because we're dealing here with the same rice variety and the same brewing process, but the sake are so different.

__Here we begin with the last terroir (the 3rd), near the village of Yamanaka (at the food of the hills), Junmai Daiginjo 2018, 50 % or less. Creamy feel, sapidity on the palate, very neat and delicate. Matt who now knows the different batches quite well began this tasting with me, Keizou joining us after a while, he served this sake at cold temperature because this is what suits it the most because it is floral and delicate.

Terroir #2

__ Here we taste the 2nd terroir, from the village of Yamanoe, the one where the clay had a bit of sand (the picture of the labels certainly helps those who read kanji characters, you may find more info there). Like for the two others, Junmai Daiginjo 2018, Yamade Nishiki with polishing at 50 % or less. Suoer nice creamy feel, ampleness in the mouth and lots of harmony.
Regarding serving temperature, I asked Keizou about his opinion (I'm a partisan of room temperature for sake and I consider hot sake as spoiling its character). He says that because hez wants to emphasize the terroir differences he always serves the sake at the same temperature, but he admits that some terroirs can be served warmer (if not hot). Matt says that his range of tasting temperature depending of the sake is from 5 C (41 F) to room temperature.

Terroir #1

__ So here we have the first terroir, theoretically from the rice field in Kayocho with a really compact, clay-only soil, but in 2018 the yields were very low there, so they used rice grown in a similar terroir in Hachimoto instead. Again, Junmai Daiginjo 2018, Yamade Nishiki with polishing at 50 % or less. Her you have this gentle, suave creamy touch plus it's powerful, stands out with intensity as it descends the throat, complexity also.
Very interesting and convincing terroir-focused tasting ! Keizou says that 5 years ago when he began to do this people weren't listening but in between a younger generation of Japanese sake lovers who don't only drink sake but also wine has emerged, and also some sake shops have since opened to a terroir approach and now people understand the importance and relevance of this terroir approach, and tasting the obvious difference helps. You see now this approach shared by other sake breweries, and it helps bring back locally-made sake, like it was made in the past.

Kimoto sake tasting

We then tasted several kimoto sake. A sake made with Kimoto yeast starter is the old way of making sake, with several kurabitos stirring in rhythm the rice with long wooden tools, and it is known to produce a more flavory type of sake, on the edge of roughness, but Matt says that the kimoto sake at Matsuse is not the usual kimoto style. Keizou conducts the kimoto stirring in a very cautious way, resulting in a very elegant kimoto sake. Matt says that before he came to work here, all the kimoto sake he had were all very umami in style, overtly expressive annd rich, and there here are not like that. By the way, two of their premium sake here (like the one on the right) are made with kimoto but they don't mention it on the website because the public could prejudge these cuvées in a bad way, as kimoto usually [elsewhere] yields an unrefined style of sake. Depending on the way you do your kimoto you can make a very refined sake, it's all a question of handling the process.

__ Kimoto Junmai 2016. Super beautiful sake, love it ! Fresh, intense, creamy and with indeed delicate aromas. I witness a discussion between Matt and Keizou about the yeast issues (which ones dominate for example) in sake brewing compared to winemaking, I didn't understand everything but very interesting nonetheless.
__ Kimoto, local rice variety Wata Ribune 2017, 70 % polished, non-diluted sake (17 % alc.). More incisive and sharp, really clean mouth feel. Peach flower aromas. Not supposed to be that flowery, I hear.
__ Kimoto Junmai 2018. Fermented in amphorae or pottery vats (pictured on left). Nice texture and substance feel. The amphora was made in a local mountain using sandy clay.
__ Kimoto Junmai 2018. Almost same but vinified in neutral vat, not amphora. A bit more powerful in the mouth, interesting, the amphora seems to have a moderating effect in that regard.

Yeast differences

Here, and that may be following the previous discussion between the sake brewer and the winemaker, Keizou brings three more bottles to taste, they're sake made with different types of yeast. All made with Yamada Nishiki rice, they ended blending the three batches following the experiment.
__ 901 yeast, a strong type of yeast, i'm told. Very powerful sake with a pleasant creamy feel. Also some nutty aromas, almond. In short, savoury, intense and precise, a well-balanced sake. The sake is undiluted and unfiltered but pasteurized. Some spicy notes, says Matt.
__ 1001 yeast, a more neutral type. More concentration and there's more wholeness feel here. Super nice viscosity feel on the tongue and palate, beautiful sapidity. 16.8 % alcohol content. The dilution takes place at bottling and it brings the alc. content down to 16.5 % meaning very light dilution. Keizou says it is nonetheless very important. He uses the well water for the dilution.
__ 1801 yeast, this yeast type is ideal for slow fermentation, i'm told. Very different sake, very expressive, aromaticly speaking, Keizou says it's on the range of a Gewürztraminer and this type of sake fares well in sake contests. Good length, metal-like character (on the good side), sharp and neat. Lightness feel in spite of this beautiful same viscosity that coats the palate and throat. My choice ? I hesitate between the 1st and the last, the last being maybe more easydrinking. Matt gives his ideas as a winemaker on how to combine the plus and minus of these different yeasts, like it's done with wine.
__ Blend of the three samples : Interesting : there remains the incisive sharpness of the 1801, backed but not overwhelmed by the 2 others, one of which was in my opinion too heavy (the #2). Super nice glycerol-type legs on the glass, i notice.

Blending samples

__ Blend of 901 + 1801 : very successful blend, spices and floral style as well, Matt says. Superb viscosity on the palate & throat as well, very exciting sake !
__ Kanazawa yeast (1701) used with Yamada Nishiki, 50 % polishing. Blue label like the ones we tasted (from sandy soil) at the beginning, served at room temperature. Very beautiful sake, length, elegant, I love it ! This type of yeast is not popular (among sake brewers I guess) but Keizou says his boss wants to use it nonetheless. This yeast is very neutral and good for food pairing, he says that when he drinks sake by itself he prefers have one brewed with 901 yeast, but with sashimi he'd opt for Kanazawa yeast.
__ Blend of Kanazawa & 1801 yeast. So-so, he says it's not a success. By the way the 01 at the end of a yeast number means no-foaming yeast, and the number before 01 says about recent or older creation (higher numbers are more recent).
__ 1801, Yamada Nishiki from Hyogo prefecture, 65 % oilishing. Cold temperature. Beautiful even though alcohol more forward here, but still with freshness, sapidity and length. I must admit I begin to have too much sake in my system as I don't spit...
__ Contest sake made with 1801, Yamada Nishiki 30 % polishing & 45 % polishing. They got a Gold Award from the Noto Peninsula Toji Association for this sake batch. Very different character and aromas, more harmonious and easy drinking, with also acidulous or anise notes. More gentle and aerial, love it !

A sake-brewer's wine

Another day Keizou opened a bottle of his own wine, I was waiting for that moment since I learnt that in addition to be the chief brewer at one of the best breweries in Japan, he also had begun making a bit of wine ! This is his 2nd vintage, a red made from Muscat Bailey A, an hybrid variety which is quite widespread in Japan. Unfiltered, no added sulfites. A bit foxy (nose) on the opening, has gentle edge in the mouth, very pleasant if unisual when you're used to the French varieties.

We also tasted Matt Froude's wine which he made in Australia at Municipal,
__ Tempranillo 2015, two of his wines including this one are on the wine list of Attica, Australia's best restaurant outside Melbourne.
Deep, inspiring nose. Fresh, vibrant mouth. Matt says it is a difficult variety to work with, related to low acid and high pH, he says the farmers do all the job in the vineyard including picking. In the winery, no fining no filtration, just a bit of so2. These grapes grow in the Strathbogie Ranges, a little know wine region, they pick 8 tons usually but in 2015 only 2,5 tons. Long élevages, 6 months ago, the 2015 which they sell now was not ready yet. Price in Australia : 30 A$.
__ Reserve Tempranillo 2014 (they don't make a Reserve cuvée every year). More delicate, lovely. Very reductive variety, he says. Vinified in stainless steel, then barrels, 20 % new oak, French, Hungarian, American (for the US he buys from 3 forests, Appalachian, Shenandoah & Ozark, asking for light toast to make a European type of wine). 400 liter volume.

Tasting a few sake

Matsuse shuzo makes about 20 cuvées (not counting the experiments in micro batches), plus some cuvées are made in two versions, pasteurized & unpasteurized. For each cuvée they use an average 1200 kg of rice maximum. For the information, 1000 kg of rice makes 2100 kg of moromi mash, then 1800 liters of sake. On another day I was offered to taste a few of them :
__ Entry level sake, local rice (not only sake-type of rice, also "table" rice) 65 % polishing, carbon filtering. We had it for dinner, this is a simple sake for a daily meal. A bit burning.
__ Vintage 2018, 65 % polishing using sake rice only (blend of different rice), aged some time in bottle. All these sake here are Junmai (not fortified). Enjoyable sapidity and palate touch, creamy feel. Stomach noise : my system recognizes the good stuff coming.
__ Only local Yamada Nishiki, grown in the village of Yamanaka; 50 % polishing, not diluted, no filtering. More volume and power in the mouth and throat, lovely. Almond notes. Picture on left.
__ Azolla 50 2018. Same rice type and polishing than the last one, plus fully organic farming (Azolla line is all organic), kimoto method and natural yeast; not diluted, unfiltered. Texture in mouth is beautiful, even more creamy and harmonious, great sake ! Intense and with length. Bottle pictured on right
__ Yamada Nishiki from Hogyo prefecture (the original region for this rice). 45 % polishing. Concentration feel here, I would say it's less love-at-first-sight compared to the previous ones, the alcohol is somehow more forward.

Exceptional

__ Yamada Nishiki from Hogyo prefecture 35 % polishing (pictured above). Super expressive, concentration, power, festival of aromas and length, all this wrapped in a creamy mouthfeel ! Exceptional indeed, don't miss this one.
__ Unusual sake : unpasteurized, made with kimoto method, natural yeast, it is 5 years old and not diluted, you have the real, uncorrected thing here. 65 % polishing. So different, has this laidback harmony of someone who has nothing to prove (you can't fake this, that's why natural brewing-winemaking will always lead). Very delicate and feminine, creamy, harmonious again, and alive after all there five years ! Jean-Marc Brignot (the cult winemaker from Jura who now lives on Sado Iland in Japan) was there with Alex of Vineyard Gate when this sake was brewed. If I'm right that is the bottle on the right.

__ One last try : from a magnum (1,8L bottle), not on the market, it is an experiment. Kimoto method, natural yeast, using sticky rice like it was done long time ago, for sweetness. Local ingredients used for this experiment. 65 % polishing. Incredibly fresh and balanced in spite of sweetness. Super concentration and aromas, almond, sweet spices. 13,8 % alc. Oily feel in the mouth. If I read my notes correctly, this was pasteurized.

Kai-ire at rest (pigeage tools for sake mash & kimoto)

Thank you so much to the Matsuse sake brewery, its owner Mr Tadayuki Matsuse, chief brewer Keizou Ishida, winemaker/sake maker Matt Froude and all the friendly staff who make a very serious job here and in good spirits...