La Luna Chino Mezcal is a member of the cupreata family, Chino is the short hand in much of Michoacan. But it’s a very different plant from the cupreata used in La Luna’s black label so they treat it very differently in the distillation process by letting the roasted agaves rest for seven weeks when they develop a layer of fungus. They also kept a higher bagasse to water ratio.
Details
Location: Zacapendo, Michoacan
Agave: Wild Agave cupreata aka Chino
Maestro Mezcalero: Patricio Arreaga Peña
Tasting Notes
Nose
It has a bright and intensely herbal nose with a bouquet of dried mint, wild sage, and touch of dried mango.
Taste
This is a jagged little pour of a mezcal that exults in dried herbal flavors and a touch of camomile that magically resolves into a soft, bittersweet tail. So much fun.
Method
Roasted in an earth oven with oak for 168 hours, rested for 144 hours, hand crushed, fermented in wood vats made of Ayacahuite and Pino for 240 hours, and distilled in traditional filipino stills made of Pino and Ayacahuite.
