TASTING NOTES REVIEW – Corazón de Agave Single Estate Reposado Tequila

Corazón (Corazon) de Agave Single Estate Reposado is produced by family-run distillery Casa San Matías (Matias), NOM 1103 in Jalisco, and master distiller Rocío Rodríguez. Casa San Matías produces a number of other tequilas including Rey Sol extra añejo, the San Matías tahona series, the San Matías Gran Reserva line, & the Pueblo Viejo line. The reposado under review here is part of the distillery’s budget-friendly Corazón de Agave Single Estate line, which also includes a blanco, an añejo, an extra añejo, and single barrel store picks finished in American White Oak barrels formerly used for Sazerac whiskies including Buffalo Trace, W. L. Weller, Blanton’s, and Eagle Rare. Corazón de Agave also produces a special release line-up, the “Expresiones” series.

The Corazón de Agave Single Estate Reposado is produced using roller mill extraction, clay oven cooking (for 48 hours) of the 7 to 10-year-old Weber Blue agaves harvested from a single farm in Los Altos, open-air fermentation for 72 hours in stainless steel tanks with a mix of proprietary yeast and native natural open-air yeast, double distillation in stainless steel pot stills, and oxygenation after the second distillation. It is cut to 80 proof (40% ABV) using natural spring water and is then aged in American White Oak barrels for 6 to 8 months. In the glass, it is a light straw yellow color and coats the sides of the glass nicely with legs/tears and pearls.

This tasting notes review is based on four separate tasting sessions on 9, 10, 11, and 16 October. For the first and fourth tastings I used a Riedel tequila flute glass and for the second and third tastings I used the smaller Glassique Cadeau tequila copita glass. Both glasses accentuated the tequila’s aromas well, with the Riedel being a tad better.

For the neck pour tasting on 9 October, the aroma profile was on the lighter side with a waft of alcohol along with a sweetness mix of cooked agave with light, sweet baking spices, caramel, vanilla, oak/barrel spice, light white pepper, honey, and a fruity citrus note reminiscent of oranges. After resting in the glass for 15 minutes, on the palate this reposado had a medium buttery/oily/creamy mouthfeel, though not the most buttery, coating the mouth fairly briefly. The sip started with a hit of cooked agave and sweet baking spices followed by light caramel, vanilla, oak/barrel spice, black pepper and alcohol heat, and that citrusy orange peel note (more slightly bitter than sweet). At the end of a sip, there was a slight anise-like bitterness mixed with a slight earthiness. The alcohol hit was fairly strong on the neck pour, though it mellowed out on subsequent pours as the tequila continued to open up and aerate.

2nd Tasting (11 October) –

The stronger alcohol aroma had dissipated on the nose, though the aroma profile remained (and remains) on the lighter side. It was defined by cooked agave with sweet baking spices, light vanilla and caramel, and a honeyed citrus (orange). The white pepper from the neck pour had dissipated significantly. There was a hint of oak influence and barrel spice.

On the palate, sips were initiated by a cooked agave/sweet baking spices sweetness with a mix of caramel, vanilla, and that honeyed orange citrus. The pepper made itself known after along with some alcohol heat that led to a pleasant, but relatively short, warming sensation in the mouth, throat, and chest. Just before swallowing a sip, the anise-like and oak tannin bitterness hit, but was mild.

3rd & 4th Tastings –

I did not notice significant change on the third tasting on 11 October, but on the fourth tasting on 16 October did notice, after the reposado had rested for 30 minutes in the Riedel glass, a more prominent caramel aroma mixed with the aforementioned other notes. On the palate, the flavor profile remained the same on the third and fourth tastings as during the first two.

Though not the most complex reposado, Corazón de Agave Single Estate Reposado is a very approachable, if low-key, reposado from a good tequila distillery at an excellent budget-friendly price point ($23.99 in my area, pre-tax). It makes for an enjoyable evening sipping tequila and will remain a staple in my collection.