Lalocura Arroqueno

Item: Lalocura Arroqueno
Rating: 4.5
Author: The Editors

Lalo Ángeles' arroqueño – clay-still, wild, no apologies

Score: 4.5/5 agaves

Producer: Lalocura Mezcal
Maestro: Eduardo "Lalo" Angeles
Region: Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca
Agave: Arroqueño
ABV: 47.9%
Price: $70 ($$)

Verdict

Lalocura is why people whisper about Santa Catarina Minas like it's a grail – and this arroqueño is the evidence you'd put in front of a skeptic. Eduardo Ángeles is Graciela's nephew, and at 47.9% the bottle carries the same family gravity as Real Minero's arroqueño without duplicating it. Buy when you see it; pour when someone deserves to understand what the village does.

Lalocura's arroqueño drinks with the same gravity as Real Minero's

Tasting notes

Nose: Dark honey, then hot clay, bay leaf

Palate: Dense, chewy-textured, with the arroqueño signature amplified by Minas clay-still production. 47.9% is restrained for the intensity

Finish: Warming, mineral – very long

The bottom line

A peer to Real Minero's arroqueño at similar money