Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/426275
102 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014/2015 { category report } I believe that the state of Oaxaca, Mexico has as many interesting and diverse ter- riors as the Côte d'Or in Burgundy. That is why I was thrilled when The SOMM Journal asked me to hold a blind tasting of mezcal, the spirit distilled from roasted maguey hearts grown in Oaxaca. A large state in southwestern Mexico, Oaxaca is home to several types of maguey plants (pronounced ma-gay in local dialect) that the local Zapotec Indians have been distilling for hundreds of years for religious and cultural purposes. Most maguey can be cultivated, however some—such as the Tobalá variety—only grow wild. The plants reach maturity in eight to 12 years at which point farmers harvest the heart (piña) for mezcal production. The hearts are very large—weighing between 80 and 200 pounds—so the farmer will cut them in half to make transport to the palen - quero (distillery) easier. The halved hearts are piled onto scorching hot river rocks, covered in banana leaves and dirt from three to 30 days, after which the piñas are uncovered, crushed by horse-drawn mortar, fermented and distilled twice. The Fidencio Tobalá got the top nod. New York wine experts taste mez- cal: Alex LaPratt, MS, owner of Atrium DUMBO in Brooklyn; Matthew Conway, Wine Director of restau- rant Marc Forgione and Manhattan's Colicchio & Sons Beverage Director Ryan Mills-Knapp. ACCORDING TO THESE SOMMS, PREMIUM MEZCALS MEASURE UP by Matthew Conway / photos by David Handschuh The Way of I believe that the state of Oaxaca, Mexico has as many interesting and diverse ter riors as the Côte d'Or in Burgundy. That is why I was thrilled when The SOMM Agave