Palenque Mexicano Onofre Ortiz: discovering the terroir of Oaxaca

Palenque Mexicano Onofre Ortiz is an agave distillate produced from the Maguey Mexicano in the area of Bramaderos, Miahuatlán de Porfirio Díaz, Oaxaca, by Alberto and Onofre Ortiz, father and son as well as fourth and fifth generation palenqueros, who use personal recipes with a variety of agave blends: an ancient practice determined by the availability of the plants in the chosen field.

This project is the brainchild of Luca Gargano, who involved six producers from various villages in the state of Oaxaca, as well as the project coordinator Hector Vazquez. The idea is to create a map of the terroir of Oaxaca, of the various species of agave and the conditions in which they grow. The producers' approach is artisanal, with a few innovations, but they maintain a focus on the quality of the agave, the soil and the production process, each based on their own personal recipe.

This Palenque has a rich nose of chemical, vegetal and ripe fruit scents, tinged with milk. The palate is sweet, herbaceous and resinous, with notes of toasted caramel, almond and peanut evolving towards fruity and herbaceous.