Tepextate + Mexicano Ensamble
For his ensembles, José Alberto pairs two agaves and uses a 50/50 mix to highlight the characteristics of each one. The agaves are harvested and then cooked together in el horno for 3-5 days. They are milled together by hand, and also fermented and then distilled together, making them a blend from the start of the process until the finish.
The wild tepextate (te-peck-STAH-te) was harvested in San Baltazar Chichicapam, and the mexicano from Zimatlán. Tepextate takes 20 or so years to mature, and is very large in size.
This 50-liter bottling is available exclusively at Mezcaleria Tobalá and Travis Heights Wine & Spirits in Austin, TX.
Also at Bar Singular, while it lasts.
Tasting notes: Mezcal Reviews
Production Notes
Species: Agave marmorata & rhodacantha
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 48.8%
Maguey source: Tepextate - wild from San Baltazar Chichicapam, Mexicano - cultivated in Zimatlán, Oaxaca
Elevation: approximately 1541 meters
Age of maguey: Tepextate - 18-20 years, Mexicano - 10-12 years
Cook: 4-5 days in rock-lined conical oven, using locally sourced walnut (nogal)
Milling: By hand with mallets (mazos) in hollow tree trunk (canoa)
Fermentation: (Natural 4-7 days in 90-liter clay pots (potable water added after day 1 or 2)
Distillation: Twice in 60-liter clay pots, locally sourced oak (encino) wood-fired
Condensers: Stainless steel
Batch numbers: JAENTM0524
Bottling: 50 liters (62 bottles)
Production: April 2023 (70 total liters)
