Reviews / El Samaritano Tepeztate
Review · · by The Editors
El Samaritano Tepeztate
Tepextate at 45%. Respectable if unambitious, and proof-limited in the category's usual way
Score: 3.0/5 agaves
- Producer: El Samaritano Mezcal
- Maestro: Ambrosio Martinez Blas
- Region: Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
- Agave: Tepextate
- ABV: 45%
- Price: $70 ($$)
Verdict
Fine as a category introduction, short of what the agave can do. Another mid-tier tepextate bottled below the 48% floor the variety actually needs. Buy Dos Pasiones or Buen Camino tepextate at similar money for the agave rendered seriously; El Samaritano's version is the working introduction, not the destination.
Tepextate at 45% is a commercial compromise the whole category runs into
Tasting notes
Nose: Wildflower up front. Wet stone, a faint herbal high note, dry hay underneath
Palate: Medium at 45%. Tepextate's 25-year agronomy deserves more proof than 45% can deliver; the character holds but never fully lands, and the producer's competent handling doesn't quite overcome the structural cap
Finish: Cooling, with a slow floral fade – long
The bottom line
Fine for category exposure
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 2 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.