Reviews / Rezpiral Horno
Review · · by The Editors
Rezpiral Horno
Berta Vásquez's de horno at 48.1% – oven-roasted agave as category statement
Score: 4.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Rezpiral
- Maestro: Berta Vasquez
- Region: San Baltazar Chichicapam, Oaxaca
- Agave: De Horno
- ABV: 48.1%
- Price: $70 ($)
Verdict
'De horno' on the label means the agave was oven-roasted in the traditional earth-pit method rather than steam-cooked, it's where mezcal's smoke comes from. Berta Vásquez's version at 48.1% is the traditional profile rendered at reference caliber. Rezpiral's whole model is bringing uncertified, traditional small-batch bottles into the US, and this is the bottle that makes the best case for the project.
Traditional oven roasting, rendered by a master
Tasting notes
Nose: Cooked agave with warm stone, green herb
Palate: Dense and smoke-forward, Berta Vásquez's oven roasting concentrating the agave into the kind of traditional profile Rezpiral's curatorial model is designed to preserve. Tahona milling throughout
Finish: Smoky, mineral, very long
The bottom line
A buy, traditional method at reference caliber