Cruz de Diamantes Sierra Negra

Verdict

Cruz de Diamantes is the Santa María Sola producer whose espadín scored 5.0 in our range, the sierra negra proves the discipline wasn't a one-agave accident. At 48-53% the sierra negra's austere mineral weight comes through without the commercial sanding that flattens most of the category. Buy it next to the espadín for the producer-study flight.

Tasting notes

Nose: Warm stone, dark honey, dry herb, a faint mineral high note and trace of leather

Palate: Dense and stone at 48-53%. Cruz de Diamantes makes every wild agave work at reference-adjacent caliber; the sierra negra's austere wet slate weight gets proper proof support, and the producer's discipline stays consistent with the three 5.0s elsewhere in the range

Finish: Unending. Drying, limestone, with a slow honey fade

The bottom line

Another top-shelf release from Santa María Sola