Reviews / Rey Campero Chato
Review · · by The Editors
Rey Campero Chato
Chato – another rare Rey Campero agave, handled with the house's usual discipline
Score: 4.0/5 agaves
- Producer: Rey Campero Mezcal
- Maestro: Romulo Sanchez Parada
- Region: Candelaria Yegole, Oaxaca
- Agave: Chato
- ABV: 49.6%
- Price: $70 ($)
Verdict
Chato is one of Rey Campero's quieter wild-agave bottlings. The producer's rigor is visible; the agave doesn't have the drama of tepextate or jabalí, but the bottle rewards attention for the regional distinction alone – chato is a Jalisco heirloom variety rarely bottled from Oaxaca. At 49.6% the Sánchez family's discipline carries the agave cleanly. Consensus 4.2 is generous but defensible for drinkers who value the vocabulary lesson.
Rey Campero's range is where wild-agave vocabulary grows
Tasting notes
Nose: Warm stone, cooked agave, a light savory undertone
Palate: Medium-dense, mineral, with the producer's signature restraint at 49.6%
Finish: Drying, warm – long
The bottom line
A Rey Campero for drinkers who want lesser-known agaves