Primitivo has been growing a diverse mix of different species and micro-endemic cultivars and has helped preserve many rare, local tyles of agave. Around 2017, he and his family began planting Tobalá from seed collected from wild growing plants that were left to flower in different stretches of their lands. Cross-pollinated by bats and hummingbirds, these mother plants yielded seed that produced a multitude of Tobalá type plants, as well as many Coyote hybrids. Under cultivation in Logoche, these agaves can reach maturity in as few as five years while growing with similar size and sugar content to many of their wild counterparts.
In a parcel of cultivated black earth, eighteen Tobalá plants began to sprout their flowering stalks during the months of May and June. Frequently monitoring the growth of the stalk, Primitivo chopped the quiotes as the reached about two feet in height, leaving the plants capón for nearly six months before returning to harvest the selected maguey following the full moon of November 2024. Primitivo took charge of the most difficult labor, but received assistance from his wife, Elvia, and their children Christopher and John Brandon. After a slow and temperature controlled double distillation, Primitivo composed a total of 70 liters with a careful mix of heads, hearts, and tails with a cordón cerrado that corresponds with 46.3% ALC. The aromas and flavors are extremely emblematic of Tobalá from the region, well balanced with rich with sea-salt and limestone minerality and creamy overripe fruit. A modest fan of his own work, Primitivo kept ten liters for himself, and the remaining 60 liters were selective for an exclusive bottling split between our DC and Maryland based distributor, Prestige Ledroit and ROC NY Elite Barrel Pickers.
