Parejo Sotol Juan Fernandez - Ensamble
Parejo Sotol Juan Fernandez - Ensamble is a 750mL unaged spirit at 46.39% ABV — an ensamble of 60% wild Dasylirion Wheeleri (sotol) and 40% wild Maguey Cenizo (lechuguilla agave), made by fourth-generation maestro vinatero Juan Fernández at his viñata in Madera, Chihuahua. The plants mature 15 years in the coniferous forests of Las Escobas before a three-day roast in an underground conical horno over pine wood, covered with volcanic stone. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 46.39% (batch JF-ENS-01, June 2023)
- Size: 750mL
- Blend: 60% wild Dasylirion Wheeleri + 40% wild Maguey Cenizo — ensamble
- Maestro vinatero: Juan Fernández, 4th generation — Madera, Chihuahua
- Production: 3-day underground pit roast, wild fermentation, stainless-steel alembic
- Rest: rested 3 months in glass before bottling; adjusted with well water "until it is parejo"
Two Traditions, One Bottle
"Parejo" is the vinatero's word for the moment a spirit is perfectly balanced — read by passing it between cuernos and watching the pearls form. Juan Fernández practices the increasingly rare art of distilling lechuguilla alongside sotol, and this ensamble marries the two: wild desert spoon and wild cenizo agave, cooked in the same pine-fired earthen horno, fermented wild for seven days, and double distilled in a stainless alembic. Brand founder Jorge Caldera spent 13 years among Chihuahua's vinateros to bring expressions like this out of the shadows. Browse the Parejo collection and the sotol collection at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
Warming spices and tropical fruit on the nose with browned butter; the palate turns woodsy — eucalyptus and pine needles — with a balanced, kind, refreshing texture and a long mineral finish.
How to Enjoy
Neat at room temperature in a copita to take in the forest-floor character, or in place of mezcal in a smoky cocktail — the 46.39% ABV holds its own against citrus and amaro.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a sotol ensamble?
An ensamble blends distillates from different plants — here, wild sotol (Dasylirion Wheeleri) with wild lechuguilla agave (Maguey Cenizo), a traditional pairing in Chihuahua.
Is sotol the same as tequila?
No — sotol is distilled from the Dasylirion (desert spoon) plant, not agave, and carries its own denomination of origin (Chihuahua, Durango, Coahuila).
Who makes Parejo sotol?
Fourth-generation maestro vinatero Juan Fernández at his family viñata in Madera, Chihuahua; the Parejo brand was founded by Jorge Caldera.
A rare ensamble from Chihuahua's high forests — order Parejo Sotol Juan Fernandez Ensamble online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.