Tepextate | March 2025 | Hermógenes Vásquez + Paula Aquino | TPXHMG2503 | Fall 2025 release | 42 bottles | PM Wine New Mexico
TPXHMG2503 | TEPEXTATE | HERMOGÉNES VÁSQUEZ & PAULA AQUINO | MARCH 2025 | 46.2% | 42 BOTTLES | NM EXCLUSIVE
This 36-liter batch was crafted in March 2025 by the legendary husband-and-wife team, Hermógenes Vásquez and Paula Aquino. Descending from multi-generational palenquero legacies, the pair has worked side-by-side since 1999, when they first installed a copper pot still beside their home. For this batch, they harvested 28 piñas of Tepextate from the family’s rugged stretch of the Piedra Lisa parcel, located between Logoche and neighboring Lachigüizo. Having cut various quiotes the year before, they returned in early March 2025 to collect the mature plants. Rolled down ravines and steep hillsides of the gravelly, black earth terrain, the agaves were hauled out by hand. Weighing a total of 686 kg, the piñas varied drastically—from basketball-sized plants to massive agaves that had to be quartered before transport. Low in sugar, Tepextate requires quick processing and ferments rapidly. After maceration, the fibers rested in a single sabino wood tank for nearly 24 hours before the dry fermentation was deemed complete. Around 500 liters of well water were then added, and the mash fermented for an additional three days. On the fourth morning, Paula found the sharp flavors of the guarape ready for distillation. Multiple cuts of heads, hearts, and tails were collected and rested for 36 hours before Hermógenes composed the final blend on March 26, 2025. The result was 36 liters with a cordón cerrado at 46.2% ALC. This special 42-bottle release was selected exclusively by PM Wine Distribution for the Land of Enchantment.
§ Maguey(es): Tepextate (Agave marmorata var.)
§ Provenance of the maguey: wild agave harvested on family land
§ Producer: Hermógenes Vásquez and Paula Aquino
§ Region: Logoche, Miahuatlán
§ Soil type: black and rocky soil; tierra negra gravosa
§ Rest time after harvest: four days
§ Oven: Conical earthen pit; seven days with mesquite and local hardwoods
§ Rest time after oven: two days
§ Maceration: Machete and shredder
§ Fermentation: Native yeasts; 1200L Montezuma cypress wood tanks with approx. 625kg of roasted agave and 500L of well water.
§ Dry fermentation time: 24 hours
§ Wet fermentation time: 72 hours
§ Distillation: 2x in copper pot stills
§ Final composition: Heads, hearts, and tails
§ Batch size: 36 liters
§ Date of distillation: March 2025
§ ABV: 46.2%