Dassai 39 Junmai Daiginjo 300ml

New to Dassai, or to Junmai Daiginjo in general? The 300ml bottle of Dassai 39 is the easy way in. It pours two or three glasses, enough for one person over a meal or two people over a starter, without opening a full-size bottle.

Dassai 39 is brewed in Yamaguchi Prefecture from Yamadanishiki rice polished to 39%, a milling rate that places it between Dassai 45 and the flagship Dassai 23. The nose is fruity, with koji rice, apple, honeydew and strawberry. The palate is plush and round, full of fruit, with a wine-like acidity of 1.3 that keeps everything bright through a long finish of pear, apple and blueberry. Alcohol is 16%.

Serve it chilled in a white wine glass to catch the aromatics. It suits sashimi, oysters, grilled fish and lighter chicken dishes, and the small bottle slips easily into a gift bag. Ralph's imports it directly.