Maguey Melate Arroqueño - Semei Garcia Ramos

Item: Maguey Melate Arroqueño - Semei Garcia Ramos
Rating: 4.0
Author: The Editors

Semei Garcia Ramos lets the arroqueño slow-cook forward

Score: 4.0/5 agaves

Producer: Maguey Melate
Maestro: Semei Garcia Ramos
Region: Santa Maria La Pila, Oaxaca
Agave: Arroqueño
ABV: 47.5%
Price: $70 ($$)

Verdict

Semei Garcia Ramos appears often in the Melate catalog and always delivers, this arroqueño is the argument for buying his name on sight. Closer to Lalocura's restraint than Rey Campero's density, with proof that gives the agave room. Buy the Semei label whenever it surfaces.

Arroqueño that rewards sitting with the glass

Tasting notes

Nose: Roasted agave, dark honey, cocoa nib

Palate: 47.5% is the right ABV for this style, dense but mobile. Semei draws out the arroqueño's cooked-fruit sweetness without losing the mineral backbone that keeps the bottle from reading as dessert

Finish: Warming, softly spiced

The bottom line

A reliable Semei pick. Stock when available