www.ranchotequila.net

A Tequila Blog by Drew "Pale Rider" Townson

"There's nothing better than good tequila, and there's nothing worse than bad tequila," Drew Townson

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Partida Reposado: Smooth and Elegant


Lit From Within: Partida Reposado is a Brilliant Gold Color and Beautifully Bottled

I got an unexpected check for $52.00 in the mail the other day. It was from a credit-card account that I had closed last winter. Apparently the SEC or some other such agency had gone after this bank (the now-defunct Advanta Card), saying they had done some sketchy practices with their customers. They were ordered to pay people back! Yes! So I got a check! Wow. Revenge is sweet.

And what does a tequila aficionado do when "free money" lands in his lap? Why I headed straight to the liquor store, of course. I picked up a bottle of Partida Reposado, thereby burning up the entire $52.00

This golden honey-colored nectar is really nice. It's silky smooth and full of flavor, with a rich body of sweet, wood-tinged agave. The juice is rested for six-months in Jack Daniel's American Oak Barrels. The Partida has a lovely, fruity nose, a nice mouth-feel and a really elegant flavor without being too heavy or smoky. This is more of a "modern" tequila, having more in-common with Patron than with many of the older established tequilas. It is certainly marketed to American tastes. There's really nothing not to like about Partida reposado, and it particularly appeals to me because for a repo it has a very big agave presence. In my opinion, this is what a reposado should be -- agave that's just kissed with the flavor and mellowness of the resting. With many tequilas I like the blanco better than the repo, because the repo tastes to effed-with; too flavored. In the case of Partida, they've nailed it. The repo has everything I like about the blanco, and more. (The blanco is really good too, by the way. I have yet to try the anejo -- pricey).

This is a tequila I would serve to guests, especially folks who may not be familiar with premium tequila. This one goes neat in a reidel glass or small snifter. Partida Repo's a great after-dinner drink. Like I said, muy elegante.

Partida Reposado has been described as "The Bentley of Reposados". I say, take her out for a drive, baby!

Tequila.net reviews of Partida Repo

Spirits Review - 9 out of 10 olives!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Many Happy Tequilas!


Una Mas, Por Favor!

Well, this past weekend could not have been more filled with good agave if I’d had dreamed it. First, on Friday we attended a good friend’s wedding. Dave Fiorito and his lovely bride Laura are both tequila lovers and readers of this blog.
The bar at their awesome reception at The Endicott Estate in Dedham, MA was stocked with Cazadores Anejo. Now, I said in a previous blog that I had been disappointed with the Caza Repo the last couple time’s I’d tried it, having liked it a lot before. I also mentioned that I’d never tried the anejo because I would not pay that much money to be potentially unhappy with the juice. I know David read that blog, and whaddya know, there it was at his wedding! Caza Anejo! Coincidence? I think not! I loved it and will buy it again in the future. Best of the Cazadores line-up for sure.

I had brought the couple a bottle of Espolón Reposado as a gift there to the reception. Well, when the Caza ran out, guess what the bride did? Yup! She ordered, “Drew go get that bottle from the gift-table and we’re gonna open it and enjoy it right now!” And you can’t turn down the request of the bride, now, can you? We killed off the Espie in about 15 minutes. Oh yeah! Fun wedding!

Then, the next night, my band Twang ‘em High! played our favorite place, ChiliHead BBQ in West Bridgewater. As you know they have one of the best Tequila bars here in Mass. While we played, we enjoyed shots of Casa Noble Reposado and Corralejo Reposado. I was spreading the word over the microphone, and the bar sold a lot of tequila that night – way more than usual, thanks to my between-song tequila banter.

Salud!