Don Mateo Silvestre

Verdict

Wild-harvest cupreata is one of Michoacán's most distinctive agave expressions – Don Mateo's single-palenque production is the right vehicle for it. Buy it alongside the standard Don Mateo cupreata for the silvestre-versus-cultivated lesson in real time; the category distinction is sharper than most drinkers expect, and Don Mateo is one of the few producers making it legible.

Tasting notes

Nose: Wildflower, then warm earth, green herb, faint mineral

Palate: Aromatic at 46%. Wild-harvest cupreata reads slightly differently from semi-cultivated, more floral, less earthy, with a drier vegetal edge – and Don Mateo's production preserves that distinction rather than blurring it toward the standard cupreata's register

Finish: Drying, cooling, with a slow floral fade, very long

The bottom line

A respectable wild cupreata that earns the premium

Where to buy online

We found this bottle at 3 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.

• Hi-Time Wine – $109.99
• Old Town Tequila
• Saratoga Wine