Reviews / Fanekantsini Sierra Negra
Review · · by The Editors
Fanekantsini Sierra Negra
Single-agave sierra negra at 50%. The solo version of the reference ensamble, and the bottle that teaches what the ensamble's partners actually add
Score: 4.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Fanekantsini
- Maestro: Sosima Olivera
- Region: San Francisco Sola, Oaxaca
- Agave: Sierra Negra
- ABV: 50%
- Price: $60 ($$)
Verdict
Buy this alongside Pablo's chato if you want a masterclass in what the Olivera siblings are building – Sosima's sierra negra is reference work on a rarely-bottled agave, and the Jalisco profile holds across the palate with discipline that rivals Real Minero's Oaxacan benchmarks. A strong Fanekantsini that argues for the producer individually. Consensus 4.5 is earned.
Solo sierra negra shows what the ensamble's partners add
Tasting notes
Nose: Warm stone, then dark honey, dry herb, mineral damp, a faint floral high note
Palate: Dense at 50% – sierra negra's savory weight carried without compromise. Compare to the ensamble release for a lesson in how blending works: solo, the sierra negra is more austere and more iron-tinged; blended with arroqueño, it gains honey-lift
Finish: Unending. Drying, limestone, warm, with a slow herbal fade
The bottom line
Track it down alongside the ensamble