Los Cantiles Palmilla Ensamble Mezcal
Los Cantiles Palmilla Ensamble Mezcal is a rare Sonoran ensamble from maestro vinatero Jose Luis Portillo of Nacori Chico, Sonora — a blend of wild-harvested palmilla (Dasylirion wheeleri) and lechuguilla (Agave shrevei) from the high desert mountains above Rancho La Nopalera, bottled at 47% ABV in a 750mL bottle. It sits at the crossroads of our bacanora and sotol shelves: a northern Mexican destilado that agave and sotol drinkers alike should know.
- Style: Sonoran destilado ensamble — palmilla (Dasylirion wheeleri) & lechuguilla (Agave shrevei)
- ABV: 47% (94 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Producer: Jose Luis Portillo, Los Cantiles 1905, Rancho La Nopalera
- Region: Nacori Chico, Sonora, Mexico
A Family of Vinateros Since 1905
Don Refugio Portillo founded Rancho La Nopalera in 1905, in the valleys of the Rio Bonito at the foot of the Los Cantiles mountains. Four generations later, his great-grandson Jose Luis Portillo — a University of Sonora biochemistry graduate whose study of mycology and wild yeast sharpened the family craft — harvests the wild plants of the Sonoran highlands: agave angustifolia for bacanora, Agave shrevei for lechuguilla, and Dasylirion wheeleri for palmilla, the spirit most of Mexico knows as sotol. The Portillo family's connection to these plants runs back through the indigenous Opata people of the Sierra Madre Occidental foothills.
The plants are roasted in rock-lined earthen ovens fired with local oak and mesquite deadwood, milled, fermented with well water and wild airborne yeast, and double distilled in a stainless steel still with a copper condensing coil. The spirit is adjusted by taste and smell by Jose Luis himself, bottled in handmade 100% recycled glass, and rested a minimum of six months before release.
Tasting Notes
The importer calls this ensamble "simply stellar": a bright citrus profile over a minty, herbal mid-palate, with a lingering minerality that speaks to its high-elevation desert origins — rich and vegetal, yet spritely, in the house style.
How to Enjoy
Sip it neat, slowly, the Sonoran way — this is a contemplative pour for fans of mezcal and wild agave spirits. It also makes a remarkable gift for collectors of Mexico's regional destilados; see more ideas in our Holiday Gift Guide.
FAQ
What is palmilla? Palmilla ("little palm") is Sonora's name for a spirit distilled from Dasylirion wheeleri — the plant called sotol in Chihuahua and cucharilla in southern Mexico.
What is in the ensamble? A blend of palmilla (Dasylirion wheeleri) and lechuguilla (Agave shrevei), both wild-harvested around Nacori Chico, Sonora.
Is this bacanora? No — bacanora is Sonora's denomination-of-origin spirit made only from Agave angustifolia (pacifica). This ensamble is a sibling Sonoran tradition from the same producer.
This Los Cantiles Palmilla Ensamble Mezcal is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, with nationwide shipping.