Cuish Tepeztate - Berta Vasquez

Verdict

Berta Vasquez is one of the rare women maestras whose name reaches American shelves, and the tepeztate under her hand justifies the signature. San Baltazar Chichicapam's terroir sits heavier and more mineral than the Mitla tepeztates in this catalog, and Cuish delivers her work unsoftened. Hunt it before the bottle joins the 'unfindable' shelf beside Lalocura.

Tasting notes

Nose: Bell pepper, then damp earth, lime leaf, wild honey

Palate: Berta Vasquez's tepeztate comes through as one of the most balanced marmorata expressions on an American shelf, the Chichicapam terroir brings wet-earth depth the Mitla bottles don't

Finish: Herbal, mineral, very long

The bottom line

Worth the hunt. Berta Vasquez's name on a bottle is a signal