Reviews / La Medida Mexicano
Review · · by The Editors
La Medida Mexicano
Chichicapam mexicano at 46.5% – Berta Vásquez, single-maestra release, serious money
Score: 4.5/5 agaves
- Producer: La Medida Mezcal
- Maestro: Berta Vasquez
- Region: San Baltazar Chichicapam, Oaxaca
- Agave: Mexicano
- ABV: 46.5%
- Price: $70 ($$)
Verdict
Berta Vásquez is one of the few maestras running her own palenque at Chichicapam, and La Medida's single-maestra mexicano release is a genuine document of that work. The rhodacantha comes through as damp cellar rather than cooked agave, which is the whole reason to buy a Chichicapam mexicano. Real Minero's mexicano is longer-aged and more refined; this one is rawer, alive in a different way. Don't pass.
Berta Vásquez makes mezcal the way great winemakers make wine – the place is the point
Tasting notes
Nose: Damp earth, celery, fresh dirt
Palate: Musty-damp and alive at 46.5%. Rhodacantha runs heavier than mexicanos from Matatlán; Berta Vásquez's production hand keeps the mustiness productive rather than dirty, and the Chichicapam terroir shows as a wet-stone mid-palate
Finish: Cooling, earth-and-produce, slow floral close
The bottom line
Don't pass. Single-maestra Chichicapam mexicano is rare
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 2 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.