El Jolgorio Mezcal Tepeztate

El Jolgorio Tepeztate is a wild agave mezcal from Oaxaca made from Tepeztate, A. marmorata, one of the slowest of all magueyes, taking sometimes 25 to 35 years to mature and often found hanging horizontally from mountain rock, which makes harvest difficult. El Jolgorio is the rare line from Casa Cortés, drawing tiny batches of wild and semi wild agave from several maestros across Oaxacan towns including Lachigui, Rio Seco, San Baltazar Guélavila, San Luis del Rio and Santa Maria Zoquitlan.

The long lived raw material is unmistakable here. The nose is green pepper, herbs and an earthiness with vegetal notes, jalapeño, citrus and a spice mix, while the palate is vegetal and earthy with green vegetables and green peppers alongside a sweetness and a subtle smoke, the decades old agave clearly to the fore. The finish carries fresh herbs and flowers. Bottled at 47 percent to keep the species fingerprint intact, and given its scarcity, released in small quantities.