Legendary Dom Pérignon Cellar Master Inspires The World With His Own Japanese Sake

What do French Champagne and Japanese sake have in common?

Nothing—except they are both alcoholic liquids with highly established traditions; and these traditions are the opposite ends of the Western/Eastern cultural spectrum.

But Richard Geoffroy did not see it that way.

Geoffroy is known as the legendary Chef de Cave, or cellar master, at Dom Pérignon, one of the most prestigious brands of Champagne. There Geoffroy spent 28 years preserving and refining the precious tradition until 2018.

Now his whole life is devoted to producing Japanese sake at his own sake brewery, surrounded by the mountains in Shiraiwa, Toyama Prefecture.

Why and how did this drastic career change happen?

“I loved my job at Dom Pérignon and felt truly blessed. But I became probably too comfortable,” he says.

He needed a fresh new challenge. And he turned to Japanese sake.

Geoffroy had visited Japan numerous times while he worked at Dom Pérignon and naturally he got to taste plenty of outstanding sake.

“I was fascinated by the complexity of sake production. The quality of Champagne is primarily determined by its ingredients and techniques. But in the case of sake, there are way more unpredictable elements to shape its flavor—from the interaction of different microbes like koji and the brewery-specific native yeast, the type of sake rice and its milling rate, even to the brewery’s centuries-old layout,” says Geoffroy.

So he built his own sake brewery called IWA Sake of Japan in 2019.

Sake Both Traditional And Outside-The-Box

But his goal was not to produce another premium sake.

“I am not Japanese. With full respect to the beautiful Japanese tradition, I can only follow my sense of deliciousness,” says Geoffroy.

Then, what is the “delicious sake” to him?

“First, I would love to have a seamless, clean flow of liquid in my mouth, which is the classic characteristic of Japanese sake. But I also want to add richness. I want to beef up the palate experience.”

In the 2000 years of its history, Japanese sake always has been made around the philosophy of purity—the minimalist approach to carve out the essential flavors of precious ingredients. Just like kaiseki cuisine, the goal is subtraction: remove anything that could dilute the potential of the ingredients.

In contrast, French food is often described as the cuisine of addition, the opposite of Japanese cuisine: layering tastes and flavors with sauces and other components to achieve richness and complexity. Champagne is based on the same idea.

To realize his version of the ideal sake, Geoffroy introduced a totally outside-the-box idea to traditional sake production: assemblage.

Assemblage, or blending of base wines in English, is an essential part of Champagne’s production process.

Geoffroy’s sake named IWA5 is made with multiple “base sake”, each of which is brewed traditionally with three types of premium sake rice. For the yeast, he uses both sake and wine varieties, because “wine yeasts add a low tone of aromatics like licorice and soy sauce, whereas sake yeasts provide floral, fruity notes to sake,” he says. Each tank of the base sake has a unique profile of the five basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and importantly, umami.

As much as Geoffroy incorporates non-traditional elements into the production process, he tries to intensify Japanese flavors. For example, he uses two authentic sake brewing methods. One is the most prevalent, modern way called Sokujo and the other is the ancient, time-consuming and labor-intensive Kimoto. 70-80% of his sake consists of the latter because Kimoto can make the local terroir fully manifested in his bottles.

Then he blends these carefully made base sake in the style of assemblages.

To Geoffroy, assemblage is not just blending. “Blending does not necessarily mean each component is merged into one harmonious unity. Harmony is the ultimate quality that I am looking for in my bottles,” he says.

“Number 5 is a universal number of harmony in East & West.” Hence, his sake is called IWA5.

“There Is No Recipe. Our Sake Keeps Evolving”

Geoffroy has released three versions, or assemblages, of IWA5 so far.

When he made the first version, he realized that assemblage was not enough to achieve his goal of harmony. So he decided to apply another Champagne-making technique to his sake: bottle maturation.

“Aging has become a crucial step for our sake,” says Geoffroy. “After pasteurizing the blended liquid, only beneficial microorganisms remain in it. While they rest in the bottle, they round out together and develop superior flavors that only time can give.”

Geoffoy’s application of bottle maturation is also pioneering in sake production. Some Japanese sake goes through maturation such as Hiyaoroshi but it is matured in a tank over the summer; Koshu is intended to age for a long time to develop distinctive flavors and colors.

According to Geoffroy, there is no recipe for IWA5. “We learn from the process of each assemblage and keep refining it. For example, Assemblage #1 was a bit too austere, so Assemblage #2 was softer, rounder, floral and a little like White Burgundy. Assemblage #3 is based on Assemblage #1and we added many adjustments,” he says. For instance, Assemblage #3 is made with 20 base sake and was aged for 20 months.

Then, what does his sake taste like with all these novel elements?

As intended, Geoffroy’s sake is ethereal and rich in unison; and leaves you wanting it more.

Assemblage #3 is delightful with pleasant complexity of spices like white pepper and nutmeg followed by subtle tropical fruitiness like pineapple and banana.

The smooth, full-bodied texture makes the taste linger long, which is the opposite of the ephemeral finish of classic Japanese sake. “The lasting finish amplifies the palate experience,” he says.

Bridging Japan And The World

Harmony is the foundation of Geoffroy’s sake beyond the liquid in his bottles.

“First and foremost, this project is about the harmony of people,” says Geoffroy.

These people include Ryuichiro Masuda, the fifth-generation owner and brewmaster of Masuda Sake Brewery, which was founded in 1893. Masuda has been Geoffroy’s technical advisor for sake production; Kengo Kuma, the renowned architect and Geoffroy’s close friend, has been supporting him in various ways.

“I came to Japan alone with one suitcase. But now I find myself not just blending sake. I am blending and unifying wonderful people with talent, expertise and goodwill. And we all share the goal of making the greatest sake possible. It is a true harmony.”

The Japanese have been quite positive and enthusiastic about Geoffroy’s achievement so far. The media appreciate his mind-blowingly new, yet also seamlessly traditional approach to Japanese sake and his sake is rated highly among consumers.

“I think Japanese people understand that I am sincere,” he says. “I used to be just a visitor who deeply admired Japanese culture, but I grew to want to become a contributor.”

He even hopes to transfer his whole sake business to Japanese people eventually.

Geoffroy’s ultimate goal is to bridge the Japanese sake industry and the world.

“The sake industry has been in a steady decline. There used to be 4,000 breweries in the 1960s but now the operating breweries are down to around 1,000. To the best of my ability, I want to change the course,” he says.

“People at traditional sake breweries are very modest and don’t try to promote their superior products enough. I can help to bring them to the world stage. I want to make Japanese sake enjoyed widely outside Japanese restaurants.”

His aspirations seem becoming real, thanks to the promising quality of IWA5 along with Geoffroy’s global reputation and connections that he built at Dom Pérignon.

Three years after its first release, IWA5 is already on the beverage list of 40 three- Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide; only nine of 40 are Japanese restaurants.

His bold decision to become a sake producer led him to establish a solid, fresh purpose in life. “This is one of the most exciting, ambitious and fun moments of my life,” says 69-year-old Geoffroy, as his eyes sparkle like 17 years old.

“Sake Is Much Harder To Make Than Champagne”

Geoffroy’s brewery, designed by Kengo Kuma, is packed with Japanese history and tradition.

Modeled after a time-honored Japanese farmhouse, the brewery features a cedar ceiling and a large hearth at the reception area, representing a gathering space for the community. The walls are made with ashes of native woods and are covered with classic washi paper that was handcrafted locally. (The brewery is open to the public by appointment via its website.)

After releasing three assemblages of sake, which is harder to make: sake or Champagne?

“Sake is much harder!” Geoffroy laughs. “They say sake is more making than sourcing. 80% of sake’s quality depends on toji or the brewmaster’s skills and experiences and only 20% on ingredients. The number flips in the case of Champagne.”

Geoffroy seems fully enjoying the challenge and is getting ready for the next release of IWA5 Assemblage #4 later in 2023.

IWA5 is currently available in 31 countries worldwide.