Del Maguey Wild Papalome Mezcal Tequila

Del Maguey Wild Papalome is made from wild Papalometl agave (Agave cupreata) — a giant wild plant named in Nahuatl for the butterfly (papalotl), found in the remote Mixteca Alta region after a five-hour journey on what Del Maguey founder Ron Cooper describes as the worst rock and dirt road they have ever driven, distilled through a distinctive stainless pot with a clay condenser and carrizo (Mexican bamboo) tube rather than a standard copper pot still.

Fernando Caballero Cruz and his family in Teozacoalco produce Wild Papalome in one of the most geographically isolated palenques Del Maguey works with — the Mixteca Alta is a rugged highland region of Oaxaca that is home to distinctly different wild agave populations than the Sierra Sur or central valley zones. The Agave cupreata produces a mezcal of exceptional earthiness and savory depth: a nose like sinking into a rich leather chair, a palate of leather, slate, black olive, and meatiness, and a medium-long finish of dark dried black cherries giving way to earthy savory mushroom.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Like sinking into a rich leather chair — leather, slate, and dark earth
• Palate: Leather, slate, a hint of black olive, and meatiness from the wild Agave cupreata
• Finish: Medium-long beginning with slightly sweet dark dried black cherries that give way to earthy savory mushroom

Specs

• Producer: Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal
• Village: Teozacoalco, Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca
• Agave: Papalometl / Agave cupreata — wild
• Still: Stainless pot with clay condenser and carrizo bamboo tube
• Size: 750ml

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