Exceptional Tequila…. Exceptional Soil: The Harvesting of Casa Dragones

1200 meters about sea level, located in the heart of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, the combination of climate, altitude, and soil produces sweet blue agaves ideal for the Casa Dragones Tequila. The agaves are left to ripen for 8 to 12 years in rich volcanic soil. It takes years of experience to master the complexities of this harvest. They hand select each plant based on the sweetness in the heart of the pina. Their approach to tequila allows them to embrace the nuances of each harvest creating the signature taste of the Casa Dragones Tequila.

Just like fine wines, cognacs, and champagnes all have an appellation of origin, so does tequila. This means that tequila can only be produced in certain areas of Mexico. The harvest for Casa Dragones is in Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico. The mixture of soil, climate, and altitude produces the ideal agave plants to create the signature Casa Dragones Tequila. The agave used for tequila, Agave Azul Tequilana Weber, can only be grown in the states of Jalisco, Michoacan, Nayarit, Guanajuato or Tamaulipas. Spirits that are grown in any other region cannot be named tequila. The agaves for Casa Dragones are hand-harvested in the Valley of Tequila, in Jalisco, where the soil is semi-arid and semi-humid, perfect for the harvest of the sweet agave plants.

It takes years of experience and practice in tequila and agriculture to master the complexities of the agave plant and its harvest. The plants are matured to perfection after no less than 8 years of caring for the soil and crop. After that they are ready to begin the process of becoming a smooth sipping tequila.  When the time comes to harvest they pay particular attention to which agaves are selected. After thorough inspection, each plant is hand-harvested based on the level of ripeness and sweetness in the heart of the pina. This approach to tequila, much like that of wine, allows their Maestro Tequilero to embrace the distinctions and complexities of each annual harvest. The process starts with planting seedling clones to Hijuelos to ensure the consistency and quality of each and every plant. As the plants develop, they are pruned and maintained with the maximum level of care.

The fields for Casa Dragones are located within the Eje Volcanico Transversal in Tequila, Jalisco, which is a chain of active and inactive volcanoes throughout Mexico. A volcanic eruption occurred on these lands 20,000 years ago, creating a rich soil that is filled with nutrients like silica and potassium, which are important for the maturation of the leave and the heart of the agave. This volcanic earth also contains obsidian lava rock, which produces a naturally exposed soil that the roots of the agave plant can easily penetrate. Towering over the valley of where the Casa Dragones agaves are harvested stands the magnificent Volcano of Tequila.  The temperatures here tend to be less intense, allowing the agave to increase and contract and the juices to flow through the plant, creating floral characteristics in the nose of their tequila. Exceptional tequila starts with exceptional soil, and Casa Dragones is guaranteed to have both.