Mal Bien Papalote Capón - Barranca

Item: Mal Bien Papalote Capón - Barranca
Rating: 4.0
Author: The Editors

Capón papalote – more concentration, slightly less edge

Score: 4.0/5 agaves

Producer: Mal Bien
Maestro: Ciro Barranca, Javier Barranca
Region: Chilapa de Álvarez, Guerrero
Agave: Papalote
ABV: 48.7%
Price: $70 ($)

Verdict

Capón production is a deliberate trade-off: you gain concentration and sweetness, you lose some of the wild-herbal top that makes a normal papalote so distinct. At 48.7% this Barranca capón is a respectable bottle but we prefer the standard papalote from the same maestros, the un-capón version makes a louder argument. Buy either, keep the straight one.

Capón papalote – sugar over spine

Tasting notes

Nose: Concentrated cooked agave, then wildflower honey, warm earth, mineral

Palate: 48.7% of papalote from capón agave (quiote cut before flowering to concentrate sugars) – denser and sweeter than the standard Barranca papalote, less wild herbal bite, more caramelized weight

Finish: Warm, softly sweet. Long

The bottom line

Good capón. The straight papalote is better

Where to buy online

We found this bottle at 1 US retailer. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.

Astor Wines