tried all 5 winterblend expressions blind at lotecito. 2019 was my favorite. the nose is amazing. the palate resembles the nose = very well balanced, sweet cooked agave, some barrel spices and heat, which I really enjoyed. I would have rated a couple of points higher if the price was a bit lower

Nose: agave, honey, wood on the backend. Taste: long slow ramp of flavor peaking with cooked agave, then dripping into vanilla and raisins. Warm flavors without having the wood overpower the flavors Finish: balanced and warm. Well done!! The higher ABV let’s the agave shine without watering it down. Nice oily mouth feel with some valley minerality on the palate. I dig it

No. Lote LWB - R - 01 No. Bottle 1995 ABV 45.7% A prickle, warming sensation on the initial nasal impact. Aroma opens with cinnamon and other baking spices, white chocolate, caramel, orange peel, cooked agave. The new french oak peaks through. Great buttery mouth feel with generous alcohol. The flavor hits on all the aroma notes with some honey sweetness. At 45.7% ABV, there is a nice black pepper finish. This is darker than the std Fortaleza reposado, actually it is as dark as the anejo. Even at the price point (around $100), it is a special sipper to have on your shelf

EDIT- Raised score two points to 90 since my Video Review. Very sweet because of the the French oak. A lot of spice znd sweetness and a good amount of heat on the back end. If you like a real sweet, spicy and hot tequila....this is perfect for you

Special release with an out of the box blend. Beautifully hand crafted. Will see more limited additions of this repo as years go by. A fuller bodied Reposado than the usual Fortaleza Repo

So far one of the best Tequila I ever tasted. you get cooked Agave right away and the sweetness of it is magical. Hands down amazing.

Aroma : Cooked agave, mint, citrus, vanilla, caramel, spice, and oak. Oak is a different breed here than the usual with Fortaleza, which is probably due to the French Oak treatment. Taste : Agave, oak, toffee, almond, vanilla, black pepper, butter and orange flavor. This is spicy, sweet, and somewhat bitter, full bodied and oily. Finish : Long with more emphasis on the french oak and black pepper. Another fantastic offering from Fortaleza. If you can find this, stock up because there are only a few thousand bottles out there.

The nose jumps out of the glass! I smell bright citrus, agave, vanilla, caramel and slight spearmint. I first taste a sweet oily cooked agave and then orange citrus followed by some black pepper and alcohol (91.4 proof / 45.7%) There is a medium finish of cooked agave, orange citrus, white pepper and some slight oak. I paid $92 before tax in San Antonio, TX. This Reposado is a blend of tequila aged for 6 months in American used oak barrels and tequila aged for 11 months in new French barrels. It’s a mature and complex Reposado. It’s worth the sub $100 price. !Salud!

Sweet and pungent on the nose with barrel spices, the French oak is evident. Light vanilla notes, cinnamon and all spice with nuanced oak notes, and caramel that blends with agave before moving into a medium heat finish. Complex and the cask strength is low key.

The most traditional of the WB lineup, this one has agave, vanilla, fruit, oak, pepper. Very nice.

Tasted at MTBC 2019 after party. Thanks Phil and Stephanie Zapara.

Cognac meets agave forward Reposado, this is exactly how every evening should end!! I get that bubblegum sweetness I love so much from this brand married with spice & pepper from the oak....absolutely absurd how good this is!

Toffee, minerals, agave, and slight French Oak (bitter) chocolate notes give this high-proof, special reposado a lot to talk about. Packs a punch with a black pepper finish, balanced by sweet natural agave flavor. “A” for innovation at Fortaleza, which normally uses only American Oak (this is a blend of French & American). If you’re looking for something boozy and tasty to get you through the holiday season, this is it. Note: if I was a high-proof drinker I would’ve rated it a bit higher.

Tasted Blind at Quinta Don José. 8/19/2019 Revisited and refined notes: December 16, 2019. Nose: Round with barrel spices. The French oak is very much in evidence. Cedar shavings, dynamic blend of spice and fruit. Butterscotch and orange peel. Flavor: Full mouth spice that blooms in intensity. Prominent citrus note. Creamy toffee offset with spicy white pepper. The caramelized agave is over the top good. Finish lingers with both oak barrel influences strutting their stuff.

Smooth, not at all boozy. Oaky, agave, mild smokiness, cinnamon, spicy, so well balanced. Best tequila I’ve ever had. Thank you to John Chapman for sharing this amazing bottle!

LWB-R-01. Color: very pale yellow. Aroma: first 20 minutes it is not expressive, after 20 minutes it opens up, sweet cooked agave with vanilla, black pepper, anise, sweet wood notes, fresh. The longer in glass the sweeter it becomes. Palate: initially ethanol sensation is high, after it balances, sweet cooked agave, vanilla. Slightly herbaceous. Finish is medium to long, although sweet agave persists, at the very end, wood notes become stronger together with vanilla notes.

Delicate on the tongue with a sweetness and thinner mouthfeel. Pronounced oakiness. Slight but noticeable burn on the finish.

wow this is unbelievable. velvety smooth and delicious. getting chocolate at the end and nutty sweetness

Nose has Cinnamon spice, agave, wood with earthy undertones. Taste the barrel influences a nice toasted toffee . Sweet agave and cracked pepper mix. Finish has tingling heat long and very pleasant. Slightly darker than the 2020 version. My last bottle of just a couple. :(. But as a Canadian I’m lucky to have gotten any.

Samples at JBs house. Excellent.

Love sipping this tequila. Wonderfully complex and balanced between agave pepper vanilla wood. Excellent viscosity that is typical of Fortelaza. Only problem is finding a bottle and finding a bottle at a reasonable price.

This is possibly the best reposado expression I’ve ever tasted. Cinnamon, vanilla and chocolate on the nose with a hint of grassiness. Agave sitting very much in the background but still present. In the mouth the competing forces of full-textured agave and 46% ABV, the savoury stiffness of French oak and the lingering caramel of American oak interlock as of by magic. This is a reposado that is full to the teeth with character yet retains bright and fresh notes of a great blanco. Some may feel the aged agave flavour has been left too much in the background however i often remind myself this is not an anejo tequila where this is expected. On the whole, this is an approachable, artisanal expression bottled at cask strength that outshines pretty much any other reposado I’ve tasted. Guillermo and team should be very proud. And I feel very fortunate to have one of the 5,184 bottles ever made (Bottle 4,505 for those playing at home).

Lots of toffee, agave still very present, a perfect winter dram, unfortunately price at 99 € is slightly too high, tastewise when disregarding the price an immaculate blend

aroma: hint of spice, agave and a slight smoke flavor: tingle in the front of the mouth, cooked agave, leather finish: doesn't linger too long but leaves the mouth warm and comfy

Fresh Agave. Fruit forward. Really easy to drink. Tiny bit of heat. Minimal though compared to 2020. So good.