Del Maguey Wild Papalome is made from wild Papalometl agave (Agave cupreata) — a giant wild plant named in Nahuatl for the butterfly (papalotl), found in the remote Mixteca Alta region after a five-hour journey on what Del Maguey founder Ron Cooper describes as the worst rock and dirt road they have ever driven, distilled through a distinctive stainless pot with a clay condenser and carrizo (Mexican bamboo) tube rather than a standard copper pot still.
Fernando Caballero Cruz and his family in Teozacoalco produce Wild Papalome in one of the most geographically isolated palenques Del Maguey works with — the Mixteca Alta is a r ed highland region of Oaxaca that is home to distinctly different wild agave populations than the Sierra Sur or central valley zones. The Agave cupreata produces a mezcal of exceptional earthiness and savory depth: a nose like sinking into a rich leather chair, a palate of leather, slate, black olive, and meatiness, and a medium-long finish of dark dried black cherries giving way to earthy savory mushroom.
Tasting Notes
- Nose: Like sinking into a rich leather chair — leather, slate, and dark earth
- Palate: Leather, slate, a hint of black olive, and meatiness from the wild Agave cupreata
- Finish: Medium-long beginning with slightly sweet dark dried black cherries that give way to earthy savory mushroom
Specs
- Producer: Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal
- Village: Teozacoalco, Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca
- Agave: Papalometl / Agave cupreata — wild
- Still: Stainless pot with clay condenser and carrizo bamboo tube
- Size: 750ml
Browse all mezcal at Wooden Cork.
