Produced by barrel aging and tequila blending masters Enrique Fonseca and Sergio Mendoza at distillery Tequileña (NOM 1146) in Tequila, Jalisco, Cierto Tequila uses Highlands-grown Blue Weber agaves grown on Fonseca’s estates in Atotonilco El Alto 4,600 feet above sea level which have sugar (brix) levels of 26-27% and are cooked in autoclaves at low pressure. The sugars (aguamiel) are extracted using screw and roller mills before being fermented in stainless steel tanks with Mendoza wine yeasts and then 2x-distilled in a combination of copper pot and column stills. The reposado is aged for 11 months in a mix of French Limousin Oak barrels formerly used for red wines, cognac, and Armagnac. Bottled at 80 proof (40% ABV), the reposado has selected aged tequilas from Fonseca’s private reserves blended in and is proofed down using mineral-rich spring water from the Volcán de Tequila/Tequila Volcano.
A light straw yellow in the glass, lote (batch) #0557CR22, the reposado has medium viscosity in the glass and a medium creamy/oily/buttery mouthfeel. On the nose aromas of cooked agave and baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves), butterscotch/buttery carmel, vanilla, fresh herbs (rosemary, mint), lightly honeyed orchard fruits, berries, and fresh pineapple mix with light oak/barrel notes.
On the palate the flavors express themselves more punchily than on the aroma profile with the baking spices from the nose, black pepper, oak, herbal notes, honeyed tropical and orchard fruits (pears, peaches), cherries and cherry skins, buttery caramel, vanilla, and a finish of balanced anise, oak tannin bitterness, the baking spices and black pepper, and the natural sweetness intertwining. The finish is on the longer end at 8-10 seconds with prominent French Oak influences and tastes distinct from another Tequileña/Fonseca & Mendoza-produced tequilas which is one of my favorites, Don Fulano Reposado.
The MSRPs of the Cierto blanco, reposado, añejo, and extra añejo have come down over the past six months.
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