Reviews / Maguey Melate Cupreata - Federico Valentín Alva Ibáñez
Review · · by The Editors
Maguey Melate Cupreata - Federico Valentín Alva Ibáñez
Don Fede's standing-release cupreata – the bottle to start with
Score: 3.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Maguey Melate
- Maestro: Federico Valentín Alva Ibáñez
- Region: San Nicolás Huajuapan, Puebla
- Agave: Cupreata
- ABV: 47.4%
- Price: $65 ($)
Verdict
Honor Federico Valentín Alva Ibáñez by name and treat this as the everyday version of his collector's box release – still his hand, still his cuts, fewer barriers to opening it. Track the Don Fede name across the Melate catalog; the ceiling is the 53% bottle but this is the floor, and the floor is high. Reach for it over most Puebla cupreata.
Don Fede's working bottle – the one you actually open
Tasting notes
Nose: Warm pear, pine, honey
Palate: 47.4% and Puebla terroir – Federico Valentín Alva Ibáñez distills cupreata (which he calls Tobala Verde) with the patience his collector's box bottles show in concentrated form. A touch less focused than the 53% release but the signature is recognizable
Finish: Warming, quietly spiced
The bottom line
The Don Fede bottle to pour on a weeknight