Reviews / Marca Negra Tepeztate
Review · · by The Editors
Marca Negra Tepeztate
Jorge Méndez tepextate – San Luis del Río marmorata at shelf scale
Score: 3.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Marca Negra Mezcal
- Maestro: Jorge Mendez
- Region: San Luis del Rio, Oaxaca
- Agave: Tepextate
- ABV: 47%
- Price: $70 ($$)
Verdict
A widely distributed tepextate at 47-48% is already unusual in the commercial-brand space, and Jorge Méndez's cut for Marca Negra is credible, not as articulate as Hermógenes Vásquez or Reyna Sánchez in the Maguey Melate program, but a real tepextate at a price and availability those bottles can't match. Buy it when craft options are out.
Tepextate on the shelf at the proof where the agave shows
Tasting notes
Nose: Jasmine, crushed melon, wet stone, green pepper
Palate: 47-48% of copper tepextate – Jorge Méndez's cut reads clean and floral, the San Luis del Río idiom gives it warmer body than the refrescador tepextates in this batch
Finish: Floral, dry, long
The bottom line
The tepextate on the shelf, not the one on the shrine
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 3 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.