pkingmartin
Del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal
Mezcal Joven — Oaxaca, Mexico
Reviewed
December 5, 2021 (edited May 5, 2022)
The nose starts with a mix of earthy and metallic notes followed by moderate smoke along with grilled veggies of green bell pepper and Portobello mushrooms then fruits of fresh squeezed lime juice and charred pineapple with light ethanol burn.
The taste is medium mouthfeel starting with lime and pineapple fruits then olive oil covered grilled skewers of chicken, bell pepper, red onion, and button mushrooms followed by bitter smoky ashy clay earth notes with medium ethanol burn.
The finish is medium length with kaffir lime leaves, black pepper, ashy earthy smoke, dark chocolate and charred orange.
This is a very enjoyable mezcal that has a balanced nose combining earthy, smoky, vegetal and citrus notes that carries over to palate with a meaty note that turns bitter on the mid-palate and finishes with a bitter ashy note along with citrus and smoke.
Side by side with the Tobala, the Tobala is more floral with a lighter smoke and earth element whereas the Chichicapa leans heavier on those earthy and smoky notes.
A huge thanks to @ctbeck11 for the generous sample.
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@cascode oh wow! That’s great to hear. I’ll go pour another glass of Arroqueno now knowing that there will be plenty of it growing and available for future batches.
They have an extensive reforestation programme. From the website: "Other producers, in San Luis del Rio, San Jose Rio Minas, San Pedro Teozacoalco and Santa Catarina Minas [where Arroqueño is produced by Luis Carlos Vasquez] have their own nurseries where they cultivate wild agave from seed." The seedlings are planted in the wild, not raised in plantations, so technically it is "semi-wild", but at least they are trying.
@PBMichiganWolverine @ctbeck11 Wow, 25 years to grow is a long time and makes the price of $110 seem low, plus it’s a masterpiece that easily surpasses single malts 3x the price. Not sure how you sustainably grow it but I’ll be very sad if all the arroqueno agave go extinct due to overproduction.
@ctbeck11 I think it started out that way—-I remember reading that stat as well a few years ago. Seems readily available now, which then raises that question of “how do you sustain something that grows so high in altitude and takes 25 yr before it can be harvested ?”
@PBMichiganWolverine I thought I read somewhere that fewer than 500 bottles are produced a year, but I can’t track down that stat. Regardless, I’m assuming that’s not the case anymore considering the relative availability of this one in my local stores and online.
@ctbeck11 I just reread my review…on second thought, $110 is actually not pricey at all. It’s unaged, but that agave Arroqueno grows at an altitude of 5000 feet, and needs 25 years before you can harvest it. So…in essence, you’re buying a 25yr old for $110. ( on a separate topic…this screams the need for sustainable growing practices)
@ctbeck11 that’s a good way to look at it…yeah, I’ve paid more for ones that I simply didn’t enjoy. Arroqueno—-I ended up buying two bottles after I fell in love with the first one
@PBMichiganWolverine Agreed it’s pricey, especially for an unaged spirit. However, I’ve paid much more for bottles that were far inferior. All things considered, $110 (or thereabouts based on what I paid) for a 5ish star spirit isn’t too bad.
@ctbeck11 @pkingmartin the Arroqueno was probably the best mezcal I’ve tried. Pricey though.
Yea I think this is a really good introduction to quality mezcal, but it definitely falls short of the Tobala and Arroqueno expressions.