Reviews / Sombra Ensamble

Review · · by The Editors

Sombra Ensamble

Tepextate-tobalá blend at 51.6% – Sombra's most ambitious bottle

Score: 3.5/5 agaves

Sombra Ensamble bottle
  • Producer: Sombra Mezcal
  • Region: Oaxaca
  • Agave: Tepextate, Tobala
  • ABV: 51.6%
  • Price: $200 ($$)

Verdict

Sombra's entry bottles drink like marketing; the Ensamble drinks like a real mezcal. Tepextate at 61% of the blend, tobalá at 39%, a proof that respects both agaves, this is the bottle that reveals what the brand could be doing throughout. It's not a reference wild-agave bottle, but at this tier and from this house, it's the honest pour.

The ensamble argues for the rest of the line with more conviction than the line deserves

Tasting notes

Nose: Green pepper, honey, wet stone, white flowers

Palate: 51.6% carries the tepextate's peppery architecture with tobalá sweetness layered through, higher proof than Sombra's standard bottles, and the difference shows immediately

Finish: Floral-peppery, mineral, long

The bottom line

The Sombra to buy. The other two are optional

Where to buy online

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

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