Dos de Los Altos: 7 Leguas & Siembra Azul...

Highland Girl: Up here we like our tequilas like we like our women - full-bodied!

Last night I had a chance to do a taste-comparison between two outstanding highland reposado tequilas: 7 Leguas, and Siembra Azul.

In a previous review, I had commented that Siembra was very smooth and soft, maybe overly so. But on this occasion, maybe because the SA bottle has been open and there has been a period of decanting, I detected more nuts and spice - sort of an unexpected nutmeggy or cinnamon thing. There was a fuller flavor-profile, and I liked it even better than before (and still found it to be as smooth as a baby's bottom).

The venerable incumbent 7 Leguas is known for it's big bold taste, led by the hearty presence of highland agave. The 7L bursts with tones of sweetness, spice and wood, with a very slightly less refined taste than the SA. There's a bit more alcohol bite and a little more edge in-general, none of which gets in the way of 7L's famous agave bloom.

In fact, both of these offerings have the "corazon y alma" of the Los Altos agave taste. When you open the present, that is what's inside both of these superb tequilas. Only the "wrapping paper" is slightly different between the two. But that's the 3% that we pay the biggest money for, isn't it? It's that sublime 'enth degree of quality and subtlety that aficionados will revel in.

Some tequila people will say that the 7L wins because it's got more spunk, that you can "taste the tahona," and believe me, that's why it's an every day repo for me, being my top three or four. Also, it's a lot easier than Siembra Azul to find, let's mention.

But I gotta tell ya, what the lovely Siembra Azul revealed to me last night was more of her plumpness. She's more Rubenesque than I thought. And I found her quite sexy, indeed.

The verdict is that these are both superb tequilas, and one cannot go wrong with either. So...get both! Like they always say, "Variety is the spice of life!"

7 Leguas Review on Tequila.net

Siembra Azul review on Tequila.net

Happy Day of the Dead!

Dia de los Muertos is here again! What tequila will you drink to celebrate the old Mexican festival?

Our cinnamon-haired spokes-model - I'll call her Carmen - is holding a skull full of KAH, which calls itself "Day of the Dead" tequila. So, sure, I'll enjoy a shot of KAH añejo. It's not my favorite, but it has a grassy, woody thing happening. However, looking over my "colleción," I see some other nice choices. I'm thinking a cold-shot of Arette blanco, followed by a nice sipper of 7 Leguas reposado.

I'll also listen to some music - probably The Dead...

Saludos!

Mules + Tahona + Highland Agave = 7 Leagues of Love!

Pancho & Zapata, Los Mulos Agaveros, drive La Tahona at 7L

This picture is just cute. That's all.

I am a Highlander!

Desert-like Los Altos produces 'sweeter' tequila

The Red Soil and Blue Agaves of Legend...

Story by: David Agren
Source: Guadalajara Reporter - www.guadalajarareporter.com/

Tequila put its namesake town on the map, but Mexico's famed firewater is also proudly produced northeast of Guadalajara in Los Altos, where the area's red soil, elevation and climate give beverages from the region special characteristics.

"When you try a tequila from here and one from Tequila, Jalisco ... there's a big difference," said Miguel Ramirez, operations manager for Tequila Cazadores, which is based in Arandas, a city of 70,000 located 120 kilometers northeast of Guadalajara. Tequila owes many of its characteristics to the region the blue agave used to make it comes from. "One of the differences here is that the soil where the agave is grown is red," Ramirez explained. "It gives the agaves different nutrients."

Unlike the Tequila area, the temperature in the Los Altos region dips at night and some of its towns shiver through the winter. (The mercury in San Gaspar de los Reyes dropped to -14.5 degrees last January). Blue agave plants, which blanket the countryside, mature more slowly in Los Altos' cooler temperatures than in the Tequila area.

"The main difference between the (agave growing zones) is the climate," said Luis Alva Muñoz, a technical advisor for Jalisco's Rural Development Secretariat (Seder).

"The Los Altos region is more desertlike. It's also colder, which causes the plants to grow to smaller sizes."
According to Alva, agaves grown in the Tequila area take seven years to mature. In comparison, agaves in Los Altos grow for eight to 10 years before being harvested.

As a result, agaves from Los Altos have a higher sugar content, which impacts the final products' flavors. Bertha Becera, spokeswoman for the Guadalajara-based Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT) said beverages from the Tequila area tend to be "drier" while "tequilas from Los Altos are more aromatic with more sweet notes."

As for tequila from one zone being better than another, both Bercera and Alva said that depends on personal preferences.
Distillers in both regions use similar production techniques, but some outfits like Cazadores (hunters in Spanish) strive to produce a premium product. At its production plant, which is adorned with the head of 12-point buck deer, Cazadores produces 100-percent-agave tequilas. In the production process, the distiller naturally ferments its agave juice and ages its spirits in oak barrels made from new wood, instead of using old whisky barrels.

Much of Los Altos' tequila production centers on Arandas and Atotonilco, pueblos famous for milk, cheese and cajeta production, along with fiery spirits. Other famed brands from the region include Don Julio, Siete Leguas (named for Pancho Villa's horse) and Cabrito (little goat).

Production in Los Altos, however, lags behind that in the Tequila region, home to some of the industry's most legendary distilleries, including Jose Cuervo, Sauza and Casa Herradura.

Tequila El Charro, a proud old highland brand from Arandas, Los Altos

7 Leguas Reposado, Poppin' Fresh!

A Bottle o' Bang!

As I write this, I'm enjoying a nice highball glass of Tequila 7 Leguas Reposado on ice. This is exactly the kind of repo I like, and I'll tell you why. Most importantly, it has a big agave bang - a nice big pop of agave. I like a repo that leans more towards a blanco, using just a gentle resting to smooth the edges and mellow the bite. Everyone knows by now that I prefer blancos above all, because to my palette, nothing is better than a well-crafted and un-messed-with distillation of agave's first-pressing. Of course, I appreciate a wonderful aged añejo as much as the next guy, but I'd trade that any day to find the holy-grail of blancos.

The 7 Leguas is right up my alley with it's strong agave presence. There's a touch of woody mellowing, but the wood does not get in the way of the agave; indeed, it cradles it. This gives 7L repo a very full bodied taste with a nice smooth and lasting finish. In this case, the 8 months of aging in white oak barrels does what it should do: enhance and amplify the agave, adding a layer of depth, complexity and finish that the blanco alone cannot provide.

Casa Siete Leguas

Reviews on Tequila.net

Notes: 7 Leguas invented the Patron label, and the original Patron was made in 7L and distributed in the US from 1991 to 2002. There is no longer any association with Patron.
7 Leguas is made "de tajona" -- the ancient technique of grinding the agave with a stone wheel, driven by mules.
7 Leguas (meaning 7 leagues) was the name of Pancho Villa's horse.


The rebel Panch Villa and his steed, the famous Siete Leguas. (He never pulled the tajona)

¡No Te Preocupes, it's Cabo San Lucas!

¡Paraiso de Tequila!

When we disembarked our flight in Los Cabos on Feb 13, we had a lot of plans for the upcoming week. Most of them involved putting on a fun birthday for little Drew, who would be turning three during our stay. A piñata had to be purchased and cake had to be baked. But I'm a tequila lover, and naturally my desire for tequila exploration (and consumption) bubbled just below the surface. Would I find a good selection? Would the prices be good? Would I fall in to a tourist trap? Answers were soon to come. We hailed a van and set out on our way to the resort.

CABO REÁL

Where Blue Agave Breezes Whisper Through the Swaying Palms...

Immediately upon our arrival at Melia Cabo Reál, my wife and I were presented with margaritas. Mmmm, tasty and refreshing. OK, I thought, we're on the right track. We paid an up-front all-inclusive fee, which included all food and booze, so I was determined to get our money's worth. I soon discovered that the the resort had a fairly limited selection of tequila, but it was everywhere you went. There are multiple bars and restaurants there, and they all offer a few choices. I soon found what would become my "house" tequilas for the week. For 'ritas it would be Jímador Blanco or Reposado, for icy shots by the pool it would be 100 Años Repo, and for a straight-up drink with dinner it would be Herradura Repo. Melia also had Don Julio, but I am not a fan of DJ.

I actually developed a taste for the Cién Años. It's by no means the best tequila I've ever had, but it was a smooth and drinkable 100% repo that beats Patrón by a mile. On ice it was nice. While I was enjoying these agave tequilas, I was noticing the many other Americans (it was about 75% Yanks and 25% Mexicans and other nationalities like Germans, Italians and Asians) ordering 'ritas with no preference. The bars were pouring not even Cuervo Gold in those...it was, I dunno, some well-liquor like El Toro or something. Ugh! Hangover in a bottle.

After a couple days I started drinking palomas instead of margaritas. In Mexico they have a kind of Fresca that I've never seen here. (I'd like to find it here -- any suggestions?). The MexiFresca comes in yellow cans and it is NOT diet. It actually tastes like a sweet grapefruit soda, instead of whatever indistinguishable flavor one finds in American Fresca. That, with Jimador Blanco, a squeeze of lime and salt on the rim and ... mmmm... Paloma en la playa paraisa!

(Speaking of "paradise", I learned a some Spanish I didn't know: The word for "paradise" is NOT "paradiso", it is "paraiso" with no "d". Just a little aside for ya).

IN TOWN
On day-three we took the free shuttle in to Cabo San Lucas, about 10-miles south of the resort. The bus dropped us at the Peurto Paraiso mall. As we walked in the main entrance, I was be-dazzled by the amount of tequila for sale, well, everywhere. Even shops that were not liquor stores had it. There was a souvenir shop with tequila. A drugstore; tequila. Deli; tequila. T-shirt shop; tequila. And there were at least three full-blown liquor stores, one called Hacienda de Tequila. Oh boy! Jackpot!


Cabo's Famous Arco, Where Pacific and Sea of Cortez Meet

Next of course I had to check selection and prices. The first bottle I looked at was a 750 of Corralejo repo, one of my everyday tequilas around here. At my local store I pay $39.99 plus tax -- about $43 bucks. In Cabo? $11 US dollars, no tax! Eee-Leven bucks! Wowza! And this was an American tourist mall, meaning better deals could be found off the beaten track. But since we weren't going off the beaten track (with wife and 3-year-old in-tow)these prices would have to do.

On that first trip, I scored a 750 of Siete Leguas repo for $23 and one of El Tesoro blanco for about the same. The Mexicans hold the ET in high esteem, I gathered. I also grabbed an $11 bottle of Corralejo. Did I mention it was only $11 bucks? Should have bought ten of those. I saw dozens of different labels -- Aha Toro, Centennario, Herradura, Partida, Los Abuelos, 100 Años, Cabo Wabo and more more more. Then I spied one of my all-time favorites, Chinaco! It became unavailable around here in about 2007. Bought a 750 of the repo. Such a beautiful gold color I have rarely seen. One thing I liked about these stores is that that all offer free tastes of tequila. I tasted the Los Abuelos repo, which was wonderful and I had them set me aside a bottle. At $40 that was pricey, and the bottle is a little big and heavy for travelling. Eventually I opted not to buy it. (Funny how things are relative; if I had seen the Abuelos here for $40 I'd buy it and look over my shoulder like a thief who had just stolen something!)

On our second trip in to town a couple days later, I only bought one more bottle. I love Espolón, especially the blanco, and I was hoping to find some. This proved to be harder than I expected. The first two places I tried didn't have it. Then I left the Americanized confines of the mall to a place across the street whose sign proclaimed the "Lowest Tequila Prices" would be found there. I perused the shelves and was about to give up when, on a bottom shelf in the back, I found TWO bottles of El Espolón blanco. One was the typical tall 750ml, and the other was, wow, this short, round 750 bottle. I had never ever seen even a picture of Espo in that bottle. According to the labels, the contents were identical, and so was the price, $300 pesos. That's about $25 USD. I pay over $40 for that here, and the only place that has it is running out. I bought it, choosing the little squat bottle just for the novelty of it. Thought it might be a little easier to pack also.

Interestingly, one tequila I hardly saw at all in Cabo was Patrón. A couple stores had it, a few didn't. None of the bars I went to offered it. One guy told me it was more expensive in Mexico than in the US. This reinforces what I already knew: Patrón is an American product.

So to total my score: I returned with one Corralejo repo, one Siete Leguas repo, one Chinaco repo, one EL Tesoro blanco and one Espolón blanco. It's a total of 3.75 liters, well under the duty-free limit for three travellers.


Then, upon my return, I found on our doorstep a just-delivered sample bottle of T1 Tequila Uno Blanco Ultra Fino. It's incredible. We're going to have a lot of fun tasting and comparing these nice tequilas. More on that later....!

As they like to say in Cabo, "¡No te preocupes!" which of course means, NO WORRIES!

Chinaco Repo Review on Tequila.net
El Tesoro Blanco Review on Tequila.net
Espolón Blanco Review on Tequila.net
7 Leguas Repo Review on Tequila.net