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

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

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.

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.

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.

Wow is all I can say!

Tasted last night for the first time. One of the best aromas in the tequila world. Beautiful notes of dark cherries, agave and oak. Wish they would’ve cut this down to 40abv as I believe the heat can be overwhelming and cover some of the amazing notes. But really really good.

Tastes peppery with cinnamon.

Late to the game but just found a bottle in NYC....Tequila version of a “Mid Winters Dram”....and it works really nicely. A bit pricey in the Northeast but so different it is worth it

Aroma - Floral, Melón, dark chocolate, cinnamon Flavor - oily, medium heat, pepper, agave, barrel notes, almonds Finish - light heat, peppery. Leaves a nice coating A nice change for the brand. Packs a punch. Grab this while you can.

Amazing Reposado!!

Fortaleza never disappoints, this winter blend is outstanding proper of The Valley, pricey but worth every sip.

smooth!!!

Oak, agave, anise Heavy mouth feel, oak, olive, sweet mature agave, citrus. Long finish, more of everything, melts to apple skin.