Tlamati Deer Pechuga

Verdict

Balbino and Sergio Salas work with papalometl, a Puebla-region agave rare in commercial bottles – and commit to a deer pechuga format most producers avoid. The result is more documentary than transcendent; the savory deer note hits as decoration rather than architecture. But the agave-and-format combination is genuinely unusual, and for pechuga completists the bottle is worth tasting. Consensus has no number; reading at 3.5.

Tasting notes

Nose: Cooked agave, then savory venison hint, a spiced fruit, light smoke

Palate: 46.1% carries the papalometl agave's characteristic minerality with the deer-pechuga distillate adding a subtle savor, the format is unusual, the execution careful

Finish: Warming, subtly savory

The bottom line

A distinctive pechuga. Buy for the format and the agave

Where to buy online

We found this bottle at 2 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.

• Saratoga Wine – $199.5
• Astor Wines – $250