Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 21
Preparing to roast agave
for mezcal
bottle photo of La Niña del Mezcal Primario by Eugene Shoots
imports Mezcal Vago. "In many places, finding
them now requires much deeper treks into the
hills. And these agaves are heavy, so getting them
back through the mountains by burro is no easy
job." In light of its rarity, Vago bottles only a little
mezcal from wild agave each year.
The Sanchez family, which makes a number of
mezcals from wild agave at Rey Campero, is leaving nothing to chance. In 2013, they planted a
nursery of around 8,000 plants of Mexicano
agave, a variety at risk of extinction. When the
rains come this year, they intend to plant 5,000
tepextate and 20,000 cuishe from seed. In addition, they're seeking out arroqueño seeds.
"These wild varieties will no longer be wild,"
Scanlan argues. "We'll see how that affects flavor,
but at least the varieties will be preserved."
Meanwhile, it's still a golden age for all mezcal
in the United States-not just for the collector's
items made from rare, wild, mountain agaves. In
the past year or so, several new artisanal mezcals
have come on the market at $40 or less. La Niña
del Mezcal has introduced Primario, an espadín
mezcal bottled at 40 percent alcohol by volume
(in contrast to the more typical 42 to 50 percent).
With its lighter alcohol, its apple- and citrusinflected flavors and a sharp, peppery edge,
it's balanced for mixed drinks. Mezcal Amaras,
which Anchor Spirits in San Francisco started importing last year, is a traditionally made espadín,
offering clean and bright pear notes with mezcal's signature smokiness. Yuu Baal (Zapotec for
"earth fire"), blended from espadín from several
villages, is another great buy, packed with notes
of peppery spice and roasted earth, with a savory
smokiness.
If conservation efforts like those being mounted
by Sombra and Rey Campero are adopted industry-wide, if wild agaves resources are well managed, and lower-cost espadín mezcals continue
to show great quality, mezcal's golden age should
continue for quite some time. ■
"I've heard from
producers that
the wild agave
that used to
grow just outside
their villages is
long gone."
-Judah Kuper
Mezcal Vago Espadín, imported by Montanero
Mezcal, Ophir, CO, 51% abv, $50
La Niña del Mezcal Primario Espadín, imported by the Wine
Care Group, Huntington Beach, CA, 40% abv, $40
Mezcal Amaras Espadín, imported by Anchor Spirits,
San Francisco, CA, 41% abv, $46
Rey Campero Espadín, imported by Heavy Mètl,
Austin, TX, 48% abv, $60
Sombra Mezcal Joven, imported by Davos Brands, NY, 45%
abv, $40
Yuu Baal Mezcal Espadín, imported by Pacific Edge, Agoura
Hills, CA, 48.3% abv, $35
WINE & SPIRITS
JUNE 2017
21
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - June 2017
Contents
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - Cover1
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - Cover2
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 1
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 2
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 3
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 4
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - Contents
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 6
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 7
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 8
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 9
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 10
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 11
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 12
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 13
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 14
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 15
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 16
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 17
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 18
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 19
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 20
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 21
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 22
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 23
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 24
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 25
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 26
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 27
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 28
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 29
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 30
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 31
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 32
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 33
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 34
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 35
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 36
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 37
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 38
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 39
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 40
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 41
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 42
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 43
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 44
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 45
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 46
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 47
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 48
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 49
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 50
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 51
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 52
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 53
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 54
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 55
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 56
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 57
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 58
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 59
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 60
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 61
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 62
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 63
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 64
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 65
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 66
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 67
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 68
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 69
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 70
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 71
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 72
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 73
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 74
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 75
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 76
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 77
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 78
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 79
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 80
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 81
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 82
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 83
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 84
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Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 86
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 87
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 88
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 89
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 90
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 91
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 92
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 93
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 94
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 95
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - 96
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - Cover3
Wine & Spirits - June 2017 - Cover4
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