Review: Tequila Don Julio Primavera
Tequila Don Julio Primavera is a special edition of the distillery’s reposado, finished in casks which previously held wine infused with macerated orange peels, “striking the balance of citrus and honey.”
It’s a unique approach to tequila, but does a special wine cask (and a funky, rounded-base bottle) merit a $150 price tag? (One whose signature drink is mixed with club soda and topped with an orange wedge?)
The real deal is less orange in color than the picture above would have you believe, though it’s certainly on the spectrum. The nose doesn’t particularly cue you in to anything overtly citrusy, presenting as a fresh reposado with a modest caramel punch, a mild herbaceousness, and, after a long while in glass, a hint of tangerine peel.
There’s definitely more citrus on the palate, where a healthy tangerine/mandarin character and a light sweetness evokes Sunny Delight — excuse me, Sunny D — to the point where I have to assume said “juice” would make for a great mixer with this tequila. Notes of vanilla, caramel, and milk chocolate all make for classic reposado fodder, a spritz of citrus finding a stronger purchase on the conclusion. As you sip through the glass, the orange-heavy impact grows.
Very light in body from start to finish, this is one of the most gentle reposado tequilas I’ve encountered, perhaps due to the orange peel influence brightening things up. That’s a fun little effect but, you know, for a three figure price tag… Value matters in our ratings.
80 proof. “Only” 26,000 cases produced. NOM 1449.
B+ / $150 / donjulio.com [BUY IT NOW FROM TOTAL WINE]
Tequila Don Julio Primavera
$150
