Ensamble Jabalín, Coyote, Madrecuixe, and Tepextate | Miguel Osorio | ENNMGO2106 | Winter 2022 Release | 102 bottles
“El Grillo” is a much loved and respected member of his community. From his mother´s side, Miguel Osorio Gutierrez descends from one of the founding families of Logoche, palenqueros who settled the area for the purpose of clandestine distillation of the different species of wild agave that grow in hills and ravines. Full of jokes and well humored, Miguel is also a gifted artist whose multiple talents beyond the palenque are sought after throughout the region. He is a skilled weaver of the Cucharillo leaves that compose arches and decorative ornaments for weddings, where he is also often invited to deliver the cleverly worded versos sung at said events. When there is a death in the community, it is Miguel who arranges the tapete de arena, a sand painting left at the altar.
Despite not working out of his own palenque, Miguel grew up in what were at the time shared production spaces, where a multitude of individuals arrived to socialize and process their agave. His years of experience of working with different agaves and multiple generations of skilled producers, Tío Miguel’s knowledge is quite profound. Over the last decade, Miguel has been planting an impressive amount of various species of agave on his lands, but many these magueyes are only now beginning to mature. In the meantime, his productions remain small, crafting three or four batches a year, totaling around 300L annually.
This predominately wild-harvested field blend, or ensamble, was his first batch of 2021, combining nearly equal parts Jabalín, Coyote, Madrecuixe, and Tepextate that were harvested from a semi-cultivated, rocky and red earth hillside. The aromas and flavors are quintessentially indicative of the region as a whole, where the endemic agaves used in its composition interplay wonderfully with the land and water of Logoche. Only 102 bottles were produced, and are available through Vine Trail, our friends and partners in the UK.
§ Maguey(es): Jabalín, Coyote, Madrecuixe, and Tepextate
§ Provenance of the maguey: Homegrown Madrecuixe and wild harvested Jabalín, Coyote, and Tepextate
§ Producer: Miguel Osorio Gutierrez
§ Region: Logoche, Miahuatlán
§ Soil type: red and rocky cascajo colorado
§ Rest time after harvest: Eight days
§ Oven: Conical earthen pit; six days with mesquite and tepehuaje wood
§ Rest time after oven: Eight days
§ Maceration: Machete and shredder
§ Fermentation: 1200L capacity Montezuma cypress sabino wood vat
§ Dry fermentation time: 48 hours
§ Wet fermentation time: Six days
§ Distillation: 2x in copper pot stills
§ Final composition: Heads, hearts, and tails
§ Batch size: 80L
§ Date of distillation: June 2021
§ ABV: 49.4%