François Chartier is known for his research into aromas, especially wines. At the other end of the world, however, the sommelier is developing a new know-how: making sake. His drink, created in collaboration with the Japanese company Tanaka 1789, is now offered here.
Posted at 11:00 am
Nothing predestined the Quebec sommelier to deal with the production of sake. He had studied the basics of this rice alcohol when preparing for the 1994 World Sommelier Competition in Tokyo. But a meeting with a Japanese businessman in 2017 changed things. Asked for his opinion on the quality of his sake. Francois Chartier did not answer.
“I stayed in the room in front of the dozens of glasses and did what isn’t done in the Japanese tradition: a gathering,” he says.
The sommelier learned the art of blending with the Bordeaux oenologist Pascal Chatonnet, with whom he produced his range of wines for a number of years. François Chartier applied the same basic rule to sake, bringing together the best cuvées to create a new, even better cru.
I brought to sake what the wine world has long understood.
Francois Chartier, sommelier
When Toji, the head of sake production, returned to the room and tasted the drink Chartier made, he was blown away. The partnership between the sommelier and Tanaka 1789 had just been sealed.
Check the rules
Five hours north of Tokyo, in Miyagi Prefecture, François Chartier spent many days at the Tanaka 1789 facility overseeing every step of sake production. His goal: to develop a rice alcohol that appeals to wine lovers. To achieve this, freshness had to be added first. “On average, sake has five times less acidity than wine,” he explains.
The task was complex because in the Land of the Rising Sun, sake culture has been rooted in cultural heritage for centuries. But the House of Tanaka 1789 trusted him.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
François Chartier goes against the current of current practices and has reduced the polishing of rice grains to obtain more lipids and proteins. He also selected local rice varieties and yeasts. Then he extended the aging in barrels by several months.
All of these changes made it possible to produce a sake that has half the acidity of a wine. In addition, this makes the drink more complex, the aromas are preserved longer and the impression in the mouth is more pleasant.
Thanks to the longer maturation time, the blend also has a better aging potential and keeps much better in the fridge after opening the bottle.
“We created a custom black bottle to protect the sake from light and allow it to mature for a long time,” he adds. The expert estimates that the aging potential of his drink can exceed 15 years.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
“We created a custom black bottle to protect the sake from light and to age it for a long time,” explains François Chartier.
Launched in 2018, the drink called Blend 001 is marketed in 28 countries. The sommelier also took inspiration from wine to produce a second sake that is more approachable, like Bordeaux’s second growths. As a nod to Château de Margaux, he named this new cuvée Pavilion.
“time coupling”
At an event in Old Quebec in late June, a bottle accompanied food at Asian restaurant Bo. Francois Chartier served oyster appetizers, ravioli with eel, tataki with beef and morels, sturgeon loin, par-cooked foie gras, and hazelnut and maple syrup strudel. The pairings were all perfect.
With wine, you often have two or three possible pairings during the same meal. With sake, I sometimes have five, depending on the serving temperature.
Francois Chartier
Served very cold, the drink resembles a lively and aromatic Sauvignon Blanc. Then, after a few minutes in the glass, the rice alcohol takes on the air of a tall Chardonnay. The sommelier called this concept “time pairing”.
To find out, François Chartier recommends serving your sake with ceviche or oysters as soon as it comes out of the fridge, and then accompanying it with fish in sauce or mushrooms once the temperature warms up and reaches 20ºC. But most importantly, he forbids pouring it into a cup. Instead, he advises enjoying it in a large glass of wine.
The Pavilion Cuvée in the SAQ
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
The Cuvée Pavillon by François Chartier
Cuvée Pavillon is Chartier’s first sake to be marketed in the SAQ. Its price is high, but it allows you to learn about the complex world of this alcohol. Citrus and exotic fruit aromas quickly develop into milky notes of butter and herbs. The tension in the mouth is part of a creamy and long texture. The 500ml format is designed to be shared between two people during a meal. But the creator assures that the drink can be kept cool for several months. Other sake, including a collaboration with Portuguese winemaker Dirk Niepoort, will be available as private imports in the spring.
2019 Tanaka 1789 X Chartier Pavilion of Blend 001, $84.25 (15005058), 16.5%