Reviews / The Producer Tepeztate
Review · · by The Editors
The Producer Tepeztate
Tepextate at 40.2% – the agave quietly disappearing
Score: 2.5/5 agaves
- Producer: The Producer
- Maestro: Celestino Sernas
- Region: Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
- Agave: Tepextate
- ABV: 40.2%
- Price: $65 ($$)
Verdict
Celestino Sernas's tepextate at 40.2% is a category disappointment. Tepextate needs at least 45% to deliver what the plant's 25-year maturation cycle gave up, and 40.2% is retail-shelf math applied to a premium agave. Pass. Reach for Sin Gusano or even the Sentir tepextate instead. Consensus has no number; reading at 2.5.
Tepextate at 40.2% is a 25-year agave sold at a 5-year proof
Tasting notes
Nose: Green bell pepper with light smoke
Palate: 40.2% is below the tepextate floor, and this bottle demonstrates exactly what the agave loses at that proof – the peppery architecture is flattened, the mineral depth softened
Finish: Short-medium, faintly vegetal
The bottom line
Pass. The proof is fighting the agave