Del Maguey San Luis del Río Mezcal
One of the first two artisanal mezcals introduced to the United States in 1995. Produced by Paciano Cruz Nolasco, Ron Cooper tasted this elixir for the first time in a small restaurant in Tlacolula, Oaxaca and drove to the remote village on a road recently carved into the mountainous, arid and tropical Red Ant River Valley by Paciano and other men in the village. Ron´s petition to sell the mezcal in San Luis del Rio to an undefined market fell on deaf ears; all that is except Paciano. They believed in each, forged a friendship that has spanned decades and mutual responsibility for believing in their craft. From the mango, chico zapote and plantain lined riverbanks of the small but mighty village, Paciano´s mezcal, dry, smooth, vibrant, strong and resilient, turned San Luis del Rio into the unheralded mezcal capital of the world.
Flavor Profile
Tasting
Mango, cocoa, dried chile, earth, jalapeño
Spicy and fruity and smoky with a pronounced citrus high note
Creamy and smooth with a warming sensation.
Clean and long with mango and earthy minerality.
Origin
Red Ant River Valley, Central Valleys
San Luis Del Rio
5400 ft
Rocky Clay
Espadín (Agave angustifolia Haw.)
5 to 7 years
The Process
Paciano Cruz Nolasco, Marcos Cruz Méndez, Marilu Cruz Mendez, Ema Cruz Mendez
Hand-cut at 5400 ft in rocky clay soil after 5 to 7 years
Earthen pits lined with volcanic rock
Electric milling · open wooden vats · wild fermentation
What defines this mezcal
BUILT FOR THE BAR, BORN FROM THE HILL
Mezcal Vida from San Luis del Río is built with bartenders and mixing in mind, yet unmistakably rooted in place. Bursting with fruity aromatics: honey, vanilla and roasted agave, it opens wide in the glass. On the palate: ginger, cinnamon, burnt sandalwood; a touch of banana-leaf sweetness lingers at the finish.
A Tapestry of Agaves
San Luis del Río lies within the municipality of Tlacolula de Matamoros, in Oaxaca’s Central Valleys. Its steep mountains are planted so densely with espadín that the slopes look like a living tapestry of agaves. The mineral-rich rock is almost fluorescent red and green, which gives the soil its strength and mezcal its earthy flavour. At the valley floor, the Río Hormiga Colorada still flows, though now reduced to a narrow stream. The air there grows humid and sweet; papaya and mango trees line the houses, their fruit perfuming the streets.
THE STORYTELLERS OF SAN LUIS
The Cruz family are fantastic storytellers. Around the table, mezcal is poured from garrafones into endless caballitos as they tell poignant stories of crossing the border on foot and returning home to keep doing the work they learned as children, coming back from school to the palenque. Each story carries the same spirit as Mezcal Vida itself: determined, charismatic, and unforgettable.
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