Reviews / Mal Bien Espadín / Jabalí
Review · · by The Editors
Mal Bien Espadín / Jabalí
Espadín-jabalí ensamble at 43.9% – jabalí under its ceiling, but the blend works
Score: 4.0/5 agaves
- Producer: Mal Bien
- Maestro: Chucho Sanchez, Poncho Sanchez
- Region: San Baltazar Chichicapam, Oaxaca
- Agave: Espadin, Jabali
- ABV: 43.9%
- Price: $65 ($$)
Verdict
Jabalí under 50% is a proof demand we usually flag, but in this case the espadín is doing the structural lifting and 43.9% reads as intentional blending rather than undersell. Chucho and Poncho Sánchez make a bottle that's a genuine on-ramp to jabalí, wild enough to be interesting, anchored enough to be drinkable. A good first-jabalí pour before the Cortés solo jabalí.
The training-wheels jabalí, in the good way
Tasting notes
Nose: Tropical fruit with cooked agave
Palate: The jabalí's infamous wild-funk edges soften into the espadín's structure, the Sánchez brothers' cut creates a bottle that's more approachable than straight jabalí, and 43.9% gives the blend just enough spine to hold
Finish: Dry, savory-fruited, long
The bottom line
The gentle jabalí education