Durango Part 2: Palenques, Production and Tasting. Lots of tasting.....

One really cool thing i have noticed here in Durango, is the diversity of production techniques and the over-all range of flavour profiles these mezcaleros are able to produce. 

Honest, hard-working, no-bullshit passionate people. They make fantastic juice, and they give a fuck about it. This is their pride and joy and it's about continuing their legacy passed down and providing for their family and community rather than profit and distribution. Quality matters here.....

It's a tiny industry here, with very little support from the CRM and to be honest not a lot of knowledge across the globe of this volcanic rock laden agave landscape.

Bildo Saravia had shot me a message and invited me to come check out his new palenque at Rancho El Ojo, and to be honest at first i was a little sceptical. But after travelling around Durango with him, and seeing his passion for helping to build the industry here and support all the local mezcaleros my eyes were opened, and the project he is working on is pretty fuckin exciting.

We visited a number of spots around Nombre de Dios and tasted some damn delicious juice. Here is a round up of the palenques, production techniques and hazily scribbled tasting notes (These can be difficult when your tasting vessel is a 5L Flagon)

Rancho El Ojo

Situated on a huge section of land around 45 mins drive from Durango Centro, this is a new palenque in an area abundantly rich in Wild Cenizo agaves. The Maestro Mezcalero here is Don Nacho, a 4th generation Mezcalero from Matatlan. He brings  Oaxacan ways to the Durango region and is one of a few guys i saw to be using underground pits and tahonas in the region.

Still under construction when we arrived and putting out the first run through the stills the palenque is definitely a work in progress. 

The Facts

Cooking: Underground conical pit with volcanic rocks.

Extraction: Tahona (shipped from Oaxaca) by mule.

Ferment: Open and wild ferment in wood with fibres.

Distillation: Double distillation in wood fired copper stills (200L), first distillation with fibres.(Note: Don Nacho seals the stills with maseca, same mix as he uses to make tortillas, thats's bad ass and I've never seen it before)

Here's a little clip of the Maestro Don Nacho unloading the stills after the first run.

The Juice: Only getting the opportunity to taste the first run of ordinario, I'll have to wait for the first shipment to give you full tasting notes, but on tasting the low wines, they show great tropical fruit, refined smoke and defined spice. Can't wait for the final juice! 

Compare this to another Palenque in a small pueblo 30 mins drive from Nombre de Dios, with Maestro Mezcalero Brijido Soto.

In this village we see coffin style fermentation and crushing in the vessel via mallet (a style of production very typical of Durango) a wooden montera head of the still with copper elements. 

Same agave, different terroir, totally different process.

Ferment: Coffin style cement fermentation vats with fibres, crushed by mat or mallet done by hand. 5-7 days completely wild ferment with fibres.

Distillation: Twice distilled, first run with bagasso in wood fired earth and wooden still, copper condensing arm (not in photo)

Spent bagasso from first distillation, used to feed cattle.

The bottling "warehouse" next to the Maestro Brijido's bedroom.

Tasting: Packing a high ABV and little resting, this mezcal comes in hot with smoked peppers and cloves, giving way to some sweetness and vanilla with lingering smokey bacon like flavours. Big robust flavours and an awesome savoury finish. The 5L Flagon we filled up didn't last long. Two totally different mescals 30 mins from each other, different in process, terroir and result. Fuckin ay. If you haven't tried mezcales from Durango you fuckin need to. So much going on up there, we even got our hands on a Sotol which uses Nopal leaves in the final distillation in a Pechuga-esque twist. Damn spicy, damn good. 

Enough rambling, let's raise a glass to Durango! 

Dixebee!!!!

Gracias y agavesueños!!

Reece 

Durango: The Unknown Heartland of Agave

Admittedly, with all the years I've spent travelling through Mexico, surfing and chasing agave spirits i have never been to Durango, that was mistake number one. It's fucking awesome.

Now for those who don't know, Durango is located in North-Western Mexico, it is the 4th largest state with the 2nd lowest population density. Durango blew my mind, it is a lush green area sitting in the Sierra Madre from 2000m up to 3600m above sea level, full of volcanic rock and deep valleys and the coldest place in Mexico. It fuckin snows here every winter and it gets pretty damn cold. Good job on the not packing warm clothes Reece. Mistake number two.

But for me, the incredible landscape is much more. It is the most prominent display of wild agave, nopal and sotol i have ever seen.

This place is so green, so lush, flowing rivers and quiotes dotting the horizon around you, as you fly down a mud track in a 4 x 4 truck en route to the first of many unique palenques. It was here that I started to really understand what "wild" meant when we are talking about agaves. 

So many mature agaves and sotols flowering in the area creates a crazy diversity and resilience in these plants. They can not only survive, but thrive in the harshest winters. Agave Durangesis or Cenizo as it's known is the dominant agave in this region. It is tough, hardy and incredibly varied. Maturation varies from 3-8 years and size of the piñas can vary from 30kg all the way to 90kg.

One of the coolest and weirdest things i came across was agaves like this one above. Looks like a rotten agave right?

Wrong. Mistake number 3. Just because you spend all your time geeking out, studying agave and its distillates, doesn't mean you know shit.

Speaking to Don Nacho, Maestro Mescalero at Rancho El Ojo, he tells me that throwing these agaves into the mix adds unique flavour and depth. So how does the agave mature like this??

When a quiote shoots up from the maturing plant, the cattle see a free meal and dig in. They break off the quiote and feed on it. A natural form of crop care i guess, so the piña underneath retains all the sugars, producing a sweet robust flavour when fermented.

"Artisanal cattle tended wild agaves", watch out Bondi.

What does this all mean for the mescales of the region?
Motha-fuckin-diversity that's what. 

Durango, I underestimated you. You're fucking awesome and so are your mezcales (and sotols, and people, and landscape, and weird nightclubs). Thanks to Bildo and all the crew in Durango for sharing with me. Nos Vemos Carnales!


Agavesueños!

Hola!

Well well well....

I never thought i'd be sitting here writing a blog, but here we are.

Most of you guys are aware of my borderline obsessive compulsive passion for Mexico, it's culture and people, and most importantly the liquid which comes from the land. I have spent the last 8 or so years travelling, drinking and geeking out on agave spirits and have amassed a huge amount of information and knowledge which i love to share. I've been doing so through Agave Cartel, which is something i set up and help spread the love of agave spirits through education, promotion and most importantly getting great liquid into your mouths!

I wanted to create a forum, where i can start to help put my knowledge and experience to spread this love, as well as the amazing amount of footage i have taken over the years to drop some agave knowledge bombs for you guys. I will be dropping lots of photos and chat from recent trips through Durango, Jalisco and Colima. Geeking out on production as well as tasting notes blah blah blah, probably with some funny fuckin moments partying with some loco cats in these awesome places. If this sounds like your jam, then follow this fuckin blog, and i will try to keep you entertained... it could get weird.

Well that was difficult work for an early morning, It's 10am, time for a mezcal! Stay tuned compadres! Dixebee!

PS if anyone is good at this make your blog site look cool shit. Get at me. I'm a fuckin rookie.