The Tequila World Has Been Waiting for This: Calle 23 Criollo El Dos Reposado

Sophie Decobecq doesn't just make tequila — she lives it. The charisma and energy she projects are contagious, and you can't help but feel intoxicated by it — pun intended.

Born in Roubaix, France, she trained as a biologist before her obsession with agave took her to Mexico, where she has spent nearly three decades building Calle 23 into one of the most respected names in the category.

Having shared quite a few pours with her, I quickly learned that if you ask Decobecq a simple question about fermentation, you'd better not be in a rush. You're going to get the full answer, then the answer behind the answer, and possibly a third version after she rethinks it mid-sentence.

Tequila industry friends sometimes call her "the Frexican." French precision, Mexican soul. It fits.

Like many chance occurrences in her life, the brand's name came not from a strategy session, but from a moment in time, sitting with friends in Guadalajara's historic Las 9 Esquinas plaza. There, she looked up and saw the old historic street sign Calle 23. It had been painted over, faded, and the street renamed, but she knew in an instant this was meant to be. For her, the number wasn't random. She's always had a fascination with numerology and for the number 23. To Decobecq, it wasn't coincidence, it was fate.

In 2007, yet another chance meeting brought Decobecq and Tomas Estes of Tequila Ocho together during a tequila tour organized by her friend, the legendary Julio Bermejo, of Tommy’s in San Francisco (and the creator of the Tommy’s Margarita recipe, among many other accolades).

Discussions of Decobecq’s unusual methods and production techniques were already buzzing around the tequila world, and Estes was intrigued upon meeting her. He set up an interview at an old café in central Guadalajara and Estes eventually asked her to help him develop the Tequila Ocho brand.

As she was about to fully launch her own Calle 23 at that time, she initially said no. But ultimately Decobecq agreed, put Calle 23 on hold, and began working with Tequila Ocho master distiller and partner Carlos Camarena. Decobecq focused on the barrel aging and blending, bottling, and logistics while Camarena produced the tequila.

Once she left the Tequila Ocho project to focus primarily on the Calle 23 brand, Decobeq started to release excellent tequila of her own. And then, lightning struck.

There is a short list of tequila releases that have genuinely changed the way serious enthusiasts think about what the spirit can be. The Calle 23 Criollo Blanco is on that list.

Released in 2018, it became the kind of bottle people reference in the past tense: the first time I tasted it. Many industry experts and connoisseurs readily agree it is one of the best releases of the current tequila generation. I am definitively in that crowd — it's a benchmark.

I'm quite amused by Decobecq’s humble reaction to the colossal and continuing praise for her Criollo Blanco. If you ask her about that expression, she'll talk about the process, the challenges, and the things she'd change. She's incredibly thankful for the love and attention, but what matters more to her is that it was created as a gift for her first son, Abel.

After the smashing success of the original Criollo Blanco, in 2023 Decobecq made another widely recognized hit: Edición Única 2023 Blanco. This is a master blend of three Calle 23 Blanco profiles, created to celebrate her 20th year in tequila, and marketed specifically as a gift to bartenders and mixologists.

The blend itself reflects two decades of experience, understanding how different batches, fermentations, and distillation cuts can be layered to create something that feels both cohesive yet exceptional. The release in 2023 was not coincidental, given the brand name.

Next up: the long-awaited Calle 23 Criollo El Dos reposado.

It carries the same personal logic as the Blanco. It was made as a gift for her second son, Eliès. For Decobecq, her most personal and experimental expressions have always been tied to the people she loves most. That context doesn't change how it tastes, but it does change how consumers might interpret her work.

“I thought, you never should compare children. So I knew I couldn’t create another (Criollo) Blanco,” she told me. (see our conversation in the video below).

Decobecq placed the Criollo Blanco into used oak barrels on the day of Eliès birth. And then waited nine months. The initial reposado samples at that point were excellent, but she felt there was more to uncover. Some of the reposado was moved to stainless steel, with the rest left to age longer.

After more than two years, a delightful blend of añejo and reposado was available. But, again, Decobecq wanted more. As before, some of the añejo was pulled from the again process, with a portion left to mature into extra añejo.

Then, a multi-year process of blending trials was undertaken to finalize the ultimate proportions for this tequila made in honor of a son who is now seven years old.

Since the initial 2018 Criollo release, Decobecq the scientist has learned even more about what’s happening during production, and now understands the process better, and can adjust and solve the unique problems presented by Criollo agave.

The final product is majority añejo, followed by extra añejo, and then a smattering of reposado. Per tequila production regulations however, the Calle 23 Criollo El Dos Reposado is marketed as a reposado because the least-aged tequila in a blend must be the one included on the label.

If the Blanco was a revelation, the Criollo El Dos is validation.

So where is this unique blend, so many years in the making?

It’s finished and in bottles. The Criollo El Dos Reposado is ready to meet the public, and will be available soon - no doubt released on the 23rd of an upcoming month.

Calle 23 fans and connoisseurs remember the moment the Criollo Blanco crossed their lips for the first time and how it changed the game. We're all waiting for a new round of memories.

But while she’s finished with this expression, she’s not finished with her experimentation and innovation. Decobecq is still asking questions, and still chasing the next breakthrough.

Her unique backstory, from biology student in France studying microbial behavior, to researcher discovering agave fermentation, to tequila maker whose work is now studied, collected, and debated, is all a result of her rare combination of curiosity and compassion.