Limited Edition Bottle – Del Maguey Chichicapa Boca del Cerro
In the spring of 2005, Del Maguey founder Ron Cooper and local farmers planted a hectare of young espadin in Teotitlan del Valle. Placed on ancient terraces at the step of the Zapotec village’s sacred mountain, Quie Guia Betz, or Cerro Picacho, the terraces were named Ru’u Dain in Zapotec, or Mouth of the Mountain in English, and Boca del Cerro in Castellano. In exchange for renting the land and providing the raw materials, Ron would control 50% of harvest when plants matured, and the farmers the other 50%.
Over the next ten years, the maguey espadin grew slowly, suffocated by weeds as the farmers outright neglected their care.
Compared to how espadin hearts generally develop, these did not grow to even a quarter of their average size, but their root system flourished, benefiting immensely from the long fallow soil.
When Del Maguey producer Faustino Garcia Vasquez in San Balthazar Chichicapam took a look at them he informed Ron he could make a fine mezcal with these small hearts.
True to the original 50-50 accord, Ron split the harvest with the farmer, and Faustino and son Maximino converted the entire hectare into about 800 liters of what soon became known as Del Maguey Chichicapa Boca del Cerro.
Boca del Cerro (BdC) is a wonderfully complex expression and does not taste like any other Espadin Faustino had previously made. Although it certainly exhibits his signature central valley style of quality and careful craftsmanship, it also exudes the struggle of the unkempt magueyes survival and the dry but complex terroir of Teotitlan and the Boca del Cerro climate and soil.
Limited Edition Release
In 2019, BdC was exported to the U.S. as a limited edition expression, in which 33% of the proceeds from the export sale would be channeled into a community and charity of Del Maguey’s choosing.
Boca del Cerro can still be purchased in the continental US. By supporting projects like these, it will help us to roll out more like- minded initiatives in the future.
