Reviews / Rey Campero Sierra Negra

Review · · by The Editors

Rey Campero Sierra Negra

Sierra negra, twenty-five years in the ground, a rare release

Score: 4.0/5 agaves

Rey Campero Sierra Negra bottle
  • Producer: Rey Campero Mezcal
  • Maestro: Romulo Sanchez Parada
  • Region: Candelaria Yegole, Oaxaca
  • Agave: Sierra Negra
  • Price: $70 ($$)

Verdict

Sierra negra takes roughly a quarter-century to mature, and Rey Campero's solo bottling is a rare chance to taste the cultivar without ensamble interference. The agave's reputation for suaveness is earned – this is a denser, rounder profile than the wild-and-spiky registers you get from tepextate or jabalí. Pick it up if you find it; the plant's lifecycle means releases are infrequent.

Twenty-five years in the ground, bottled once

Tasting notes

Nose: Cooked agave with wildflower, a thread of tropical fruit

Palate: Round and suave, sierra negra's slow-growing nature translating to a dense, mellow mid-palate. Rómulo Sánchez Parada lets the agave's patience read as texture

Finish: Warming, floral – long

The bottom line

Buy for the rarity and the plant-age signature

Where to buy online

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

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