NETA Barril + Mexicanito is a limited release from maestro Hermógenes García Vásquez and his son Jorge Aquino Vásquez.
About this destilado de agave
NETA Barril + Mexicanito was a limited release. This is what NETA had to say about it:
While most productions from Logoche are crafted with homegrown or local maguey, Hermógenes and his youngest son, Jorge (17), recently decided to experiment with agave types new to them. Through their magueyero network, they obtained a mix of wild maguey harvested from hillsides where the Central Valleys and Mixteca regions converge. The father-and-son team worked with nearly equal parts of Barril (Agave karwinskii var.) and Mexicanito (Agave rhodacantha var.), composing approximately 480L in early November 2020, shortly after the Día de Muertos celebrations had passed. The colder weather and proximity to the rainy season generally dictates lower yields than the productions from the hot and dry month of late Spring, but there is something to be said for the flavors and aromas that reveal themselves under these different conditions of Autumn and Winter.
While the San Luis Amatlán region has a tremendous amount of different Agave karwinskii varieties, this particular Barril is not endemic to the area. The agave known locally as Barril, is definitively not an A. karwinskii type but rather a type of A. angustifolia. Likewise, A. rhodacantha is present throughout Miahuatlán, but this specific expression of Mexicanito is native to parts of the Central Valleys and of the Mixteca.
NETA
NETA is a colloquial word in Mexico that translates to “the real deal” or “the truth”. Since 2012, the brand has worked closely with several small, family producers and a cooperative of twelve palenqueros from the southern valleys and hills of Miahuatlán, Oaxaca. The region has preserved its reputation for producing some of the finest mezcales and agave spirits anywhere in Mexico. The team behind NETA presents a carefully curated selection of extraordinary spirits that would otherwise never be found outside of its place of origin.
A note about NETA labels: The total bottle count written on the front label might be less than the total batch size. Batches may be split between Mexico, Europe, and the US; the handwritten bottle count represents the number of bottles imported into a particular country.
Learn more about NETA:
- NETA – Spirit Distilled from Agave on the K&L Wines Spirits Journal blog
- NETA is finally here on Mezcalistas
Review this bottle
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JoeVandal
10 reviewsHoly shit. I want what blumbibe is smoking. Completely nails his review. Getting that breading, parmensean. Fresh herbs, fruit, I get peaches and strawberries, floral.
Palate. Typical Miahuatlan mineral, clay. Herbal, vegatal with the karwinski. Such a great bottle. Like blumbibe said, if you find a bottle, pounce!
bluImbibe
40 reviewsNETA Barril y Mexicanito Hermogenes Garcia Vasquez & Jorge Vasquez Aquino (ENSJV2011)
Nose: OK, cracked opened the bottle, rubbed on my hands and… it smells like pizza: heavy marinara sauce, breading and cheese… In glass it smells like rosemary, oregano, lots of fresh herbs. Slightly sweet and floral, reminiscent of licorice root and lavender. Some fruit and bubblegum nestled deep in there as well. Mostly hella herbaceous though. After finishing my glass, rose petals linger for a long while.
Palate: slightly cheesy, mineral rich clay, still very herbaceous but with a heavy menthol cooling sensation on the back end. Root beer, cured meat; full body, slight bitterness and a slight heat but it’s pleasant. as the vapors dissipate you get salt water, sweet mint and soil.
Because it was made during cooler weather, close to the rainy season, less yield is to be expected but I’d say it’s worth it given the unique flavors presented. If you’re able to spot this batch in the wild please pounce on it. You will not regret it because of how interesting, unique and complex the flavors presented are.
NETA Barril y Mexicanito Hermogenes Garcia Vasquez & Jorge Vasquez Aquino (ENSJV2011)
Nose: OK, cracked opened the bottle, rubbed on my hands and… it smells like pizza: heavy marinara sauce, breading and cheese… In glass it smells like rosemary, oregano, lots of fresh herbs. Slightly sweet and floral, reminiscent of licorice root and lavender. Some fruit and bubblegum nestled deep in there as well. Mostly hella herbaceous though. After finishing my glass, rose petals linger for a long wh