Review: Penta Diamante Tequila Reposado Cristalino
Penta Tequila was founded by Steve Reynolds and four of his winemaking friends from Napa California, bound together by their love of wine and tequila. Steve Reynolds once crafted a wine from all 16 different growing regions in Napa California. That was that experience that lead them to craft a tequila from 100% agave grown in all five of the legal growing regions of agave for tequila. Those five regions include Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. They worked with Casa Aceves and Master Distiller Ana Maria Romero to craft Penta. Pente Diamante Cristalino starts with hand selected agave from all five regions. Some of the agave is slow roasted in a brick oven for 3 days. Some is cooked at low pressure/temperature in an autoclave for 22-24 hours. The extracted juice is fermented in stainless steel tanks with Champagne yeast, then double distilled. The spirit is aged for 7 months in new French oak barrels followed by a completely new filtration process with a loose charcoal system where they top the tank with a thick layer of charcoal. A weighted screen lowers the charcoal slowly through the tank. This allows the charcoal to gently absorb the color without stripping the tequila of its complexity. The aroma leads with vanilla, oak, agave, and black pepper. Additional time brings out floral notes and toasted coconut. The citrus and agave entry is joined by vanilla and herbs, building to a caramel, fruit, and oak peak. It fades with orange and coconut, and finishes with cooked agave, lemon peel, and pepper.
NOM: 1499
Agave Regions: Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas
40% Alcohol
Score: 91
Award: Gold Medal