Reviews / Zancudo Tepeztate
Review · · by The Editors
Zancudo Tepeztate
Tepextate at 43% is an undersell of a difficult agave
Score: 3.0/5 agaves
- Producer: Zancudo Mezcal
- Maestro: Carlos Morales
- Region: San Dionisio Ocotepec, Oaxaca
- Agave: Tepextate
- ABV: 43%
- Price: $70 ($$)
Verdict
Tepextate is one of the category's slowest-growing wild agaves, and bottling it at 43% pulls the punch the raw material earns. Zancudo's version is technically correct but undersold by the proof. Skip it for NETA's tepextate work or Nuestra Soledad's ensambles, both deliver the floral-mineral weight this bottle gestures at.
Tepextate under 48% is a bottle half-apologizing for itself
Tasting notes
Nose: Wildflower with green pepper, faint smoke
Palate: Lean and floral at 43%, tepextate's wild register present but not pressing, the 18-25 year agave reading softer than its biology wants. Pretty, under-concentrated
Finish: Floral, a shade thin, medium
The bottom line
Skip. Tepextate deserves 46%+ to show itself
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 2 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.