Reviews / Mezcalero No. 21

Review · · by The Editors

Mezcalero No. 21

Baltazar Cruz's cirial-tepextate-tobalá – the wild trio at 48%

Score: 4.0/5 agaves

Mezcalero No. 21 bottle
  • Producer: Mezcalero Mezcal
  • Maestro: Baltazar Cruz Gomez
  • Region: San Luis del Rio, Oaxaca
  • Agave: Cirial, Tepextate, Tobala
  • ABV: 48%
  • Price: $70 ($$)

Verdict

Baltazar Cruz Gomez is the single-maestro card of the Mezcalero deck most likely to produce a quietly great bottle, and No. 21 confirms it. The wild trio is balanced, the proof is adequate, and the final drinking experience is a clean argument for the single-lot ensamble format. Buy a bottle when the Mezcalero line rotates.

Three wilds in one bottle without any of them stepping on the others

Tasting notes

Nose: Green herb, then wet stone, ripe pear, dust

Palate: 48% with each wild agave contributing distinctly, cirial's dry spine, tepextate's floral lift, tobalá's roundness, the ensamble reads layered rather than muddled

Finish: Floral, dry, long

The bottom line

Worth the chase. A textbook single-lot wild ensamble

Where to buy online

We found this bottle at 2 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.

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