Reviews / 5 Sentidos Sierra Negra - Alberto Martinez

Review · · by The Editors

5 Sentidos Sierra Negra - Alberto Martinez

Sierra negra the Americana variant, Martinez at Albarradas – one of the catalog's benchmarks

Score: 4.5/5 agaves

5 Sentidos Sierra Negra - Alberto Martinez bottle
  • Producer: 5 Sentidos
  • Maestro: Alberto Martinez
  • Region: Santa Catarina Albarradas, Oaxaca
  • Agave: Sierra Negra
  • ABV: 49.5%
  • Price: $130 ($$)

Verdict

Forty-five consensus reviews at 4.4 is about where the best 5 Sentidos espadín-family bottles live, and this is one of them. Comparable in register to Lalocura's arroqueño or a Real Minero largo, without the three-digit price tag. Martinez has built his reputation on bottles like this. Hunt it whenever you see it.

Sierra negra done right is a lesson in density; Martinez teaches it

Tasting notes

Nose: Cooked agave, then dark honey, wet stone, faint tobacco

Palate: Sierra negra is the muscle-bound cousin of espadín – dense, savory, structurally imposing. Martinez at 49.5% through clay delivers the agave at full weight, with a creamy mid-palate that rare americana-family bottles achieve

Finish: Warm, lingering honey. Very long

The bottom line

Chase it down. A reference sierra negra at a still-reasonable price

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