Reviews / MDM Chapero
Review · · by The Editors
MDM Chapero
Pantaleón López on chapero – a quiet wild agave, fully heard
Score: 4.0/5 agaves
- Producer: Maestros del Mezcal (MDM)
- Maestro: Pantaleón López
- Region: Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca
- Agave: Chapero
- ABV: 50%
- Price: $55 ($)
Verdict
Mezcales de Montaña (MDM) puts maestros first on the label, and Pantaleón López's chapero is an argument for the practice – a specific agave, a specific maker, a specific lot, presented with the proof the wild deserves. This is single-lot mezcal in the Mezcalosfera mold, and at its price tier a genuine value. Track a bottle.
Chapero doesn't show up on many labels. This one argues it should
Tasting notes
Nose: Crushed flowers with wet limestone, a fine smoke
Palate: ~50% gives chapero room to bloom – the palate is aromatic and mineral, less tropical than tobalá, cleaner than karwinskii, the kind of wild-agave middle that doesn't get bottled often
Finish: Floral, dry
The bottom line
Worth tracking. A rare wild agave in capable hands