Reviews / Maguey Melate Chuparrosa
Review · · by The Editors
Maguey Melate Chuparrosa
An unclassified wild agave that tastes more curious than compelling
Score: 2.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Maguey Melate
- Maestro: Isaac Alvarez Rodriguez
- Region: San Lorenzo Jilotepequillo, Oaxaca
- Agave: Chuparrosa
- ABV: 49.5%
- Price: $70 ($)
Verdict
Chuparrosa doesn't have a scientific designation and after a pour it's not hard to see why nobody's pressed the issue – the agave reads underdeveloped next to named wild varietals. Skip unless you're building a taxonomy shelf. The Melate catalog has twenty better wild-agave bottles; reach for the papalometl or the Pichomel instead.
Rare agave, thin argument – the bottle for completists only
Tasting notes
Nose: Grassy, faintly medicinal, green pepper, wet leaf
Palate: At 49.5% the chuparrosa's unknown botanical profile reads thin and slightly soapy – Isaac Alvarez Rodriguez distills cleanly but the agave isn't giving him much to work with
Finish: Vegetal, faintly bitter
The bottom line
For agave-catalog collectors. Everyone else can skip