Sakunohana Nanago Junmai Ginjo (720 ml)

Founded in 1892, Sakunohana Shuzo operates from Saku City on the Saku-daira plateau — a high-altitude inland basin at roughly 700 m elevation, flanked by Mt. Asama to the north and the Yatsugatake range to the south. That geography delivers the sustained cold temperatures that make ginjo-zukuri slow fermentation not just a technique but a natural condition of the site.

The rice is Hitogokochi, a Nagano-bred variety cultivated along the Chikuma River valley and polished to 59% seimaibuai — 41% of the grain removed — before fermentation under toji Tatsuyuki Inoue. No added distilled alcohol enters the tank; this is a pure Junmai expression. The finished sake is bottled muroka (non-carbon-filtered), a deliberate choice that preserves the fuller, unmediated rice character that activated-carbon treatment would strip away.

What separates Sakunohana from neighboring Nagano houses is that muroka commitment at an accessible price tier — most small regional producers reserve unfiltered releases for flagship Daiginjo. Here it appears at Junmai Ginjo level, delivering a medium-bodied, dry profile with lively ginjo aromatics and a clean, plateau-cool finish that reflects the Saku-daira terroir directly in the glass.