Mr. Kenneth MacLeod reports

SONORO GOLD TO EVALUATE VIABILITY OF A 20,000 TPD HEAP LEACH OPERATION

Sonoro Gold Corp. has released very favourable results from its current stepout and infill drilling programs. The current programs have demonstrated a material expansion of several mineralized zones, most notably at Japoneses, Buena Suerte, Veta de Oro, El Rincon and El Colorado. Based on these results, the company is revising the parameters for a planned preliminary economic assessment (PEA) to assess the viability of heap leach mining operation (HLMO) by increasing the target conceptual capacity from 8,000 tonnes per day (tpd) to 20,000 tpd.

On Nov. 18, 2020, Sonoro reported engaging McClelland Laboratories of Sparks, Nev., to conduct independent metallurgical testing of the mineralization at Cerro Caliche for its upcoming National Instrument 43-101-compliant mineral resource update and PEA based on all drilling results to Dec. 15, 2020. Sonoro expects that this independent metallurgical testing will confirm and expand on the results of its preliminary in-house column leach tests.

As reported on Dec. 8, 2020, and as a key component of fast-tracking the proposed Cerro Caliche mine development, Sonoro contracted D.E.N.M. Engineering Ltd. to prepare an NI 43-101-compliant PEA and Micon International Ltd. to prepare an NI 43-101-compliant updated resource estimate, based on all drill results up until Dec. 15, 2020. The realization of the company's goal of commencing gold production by December, 2021, remains dependent on several material conditions, most notably the satisfactory completion of the current metallurgical testing, a favourable PEA report, securing required environmental permitting and securing project financing.

El Colorado zone -- assay results

Sonoro reports the following results from the current drilling program at El Colorado:

• SCD-008 intercepted 11.7 metres (m) averaging 0.92 gram per tonne (g/t) gold (Au), including 4.55 m averaging 1.84 g/t Au.
• SCD-016 intercepted 11.25 m averaging 1.08 g/t Au, including one m averaging 2.88 g/t Au.
• SCD-023 intercepted 8.45 m averaging 1.4 g/t Au, including 1.85 m averaging 4.76 g/t Au.
• SCD-024 intercepted 5.7 m averaging 1.25 g/t Au, including 0.9 m averaging 6.22 g/t Au.

Assays of four additional core holes at El Colorado are pending and will be reported in due course.

The El Colorado zone is located along an extensively mineralized east-west-trending ridge in the southwestern part of the Cerro Caliche property. Drilling to date has outlined a gold mineralized zone approximately 300 metres long from north to south and 200 metres wide, which remains open to the northwest and southeast.

Previously reported drill holes intercepted 12 metres averaging 11.22 g/t Au and six metres averaging 12.96 g/t Au.

Continuation of the core drilling program

Core drilling has been suspended until the new year and is expected to recommence on Jan. 4, 2021. A total of 24 HQ-sized holes were completed and assays for 11 of these holes are pending. An additional 11 PQ-sized core holes were drilled in the early part of the core drilling program specifically to supply mineralized material for metallurgical testing, essential to advance the company's plans to fast-track a proposed mine development program with a goal to achieve gold production by the end of 2021.

Japoneses zone -- additional results from core and RC drilling

At the Japoneses zone, three core holes, SCD-001, SCD-002 and SCD-003, were completed to test for potential deeper extensions of the zone's shallow epithermal mineralization. The targeted areas were about 200 metres lower than the zone's drilled extent. The three 45-degree holes ranged from 370 to over 400 metres in length. SCD-001 intercepted eight metres averaging 0.45 g/t Au beginning at 50.95 metres depth. SCD-OO2 encountered a wider interval of 21 metres averaging 0.41 g/t Au at 24.2 metres depth. These two reported intervals are in the upper part of the drill holes near the drill collars and they are part of the Chinos NW zone that extends the zone southeasterly by approximately 40 metres. SCD-003, which was collared at the northeasternmost extent of the Japoneses zone, was similar in trajectory and length to SCD-001 and SCD-002 and targeted conceptual deep high-grade gold vein systems which may have supplied the Japoneses shallow oxide gold mineralization. SCD-003 returned several narrow intervals of mineralization ranging from 0.212 to 0.978 g/t Au.

Assays from five additional RC drill holes from the Japoneses zone have been received. These drill holes, SCR-137 through SCR-140 and SCR-144, are important infill drill holes demonstrating continuous mineralization in gaps between prior drill holes.

Core drilling program -- initial assessment and future plans

The additional holes at the El Colorado zone have added to an already intensely mineralized zone, while drilling results in other known mineralized zones have allowed the company to not only refine the epithermal model, but also, importantly, where to search for future high-grade targets. These results have indicated that several of the initial targets, such as those previously reported at the Sultan zone near the eastern boundary of the property, were below the previously projected boiling zone in the epithermal system. Therefore, as the location of the ideal boiling zone has been shown to be at higher elevations, priority is now being given to already identified and potential high-grade targets, which are at higher elevations on Cerro Caliche. As these targets are much closer and, in some cases, adjacent to Cerro Caliche's shallow gold mineralization, the higher grade would form part of an expanded near-surface resource estimate.

These additional results will enable Sonoro to further refine and develop its plans to test additional high-grade targets located at the higher elevations, while concurrently expanding the mineralized zones. Priority targets for the high-grade drilling program, which is scheduled to continue at least until April, 2021, are at the Cerro Caliche peak, Buena Suerte and Cabeza Blanca north, in addition to El Colorado.

Melvin Herdrick, Sonoro's vice-president of exploration, stated: "We are happy to conclude the year with strong results from the Cerro Caliche drill program, enabling us to evaluate the possibility of a potentially larger mine operation than previously discussed. The latest results at El Colorado show it to be a well-mineralized block with numerous wide veins and veinlet zones all shown as a network, including two blind vein zones that may help define the structural setting of the geometry of the mineralization at Cerro Caliche. I am very optimistic with the potential for the El Colorado mineralized zone and how it could ultimately add to and better define Cerro Caliche's planned resource estimate."

Kenneth MacLeod, Sonoro's president and chief executive officer, added: "The Sonoro board is grateful for the superlative efforts of our technical team in Mexico in expanding the known mineralized zones and defining new mineralized zones for quantifying in the upcoming NI 43-101 resource report. Special thanks go to VP exploration Melvin Herdrick; VP operations Jorge Diaz; and chief geologist Oscar Gonzalez."

John Darch, Sonoro's chairman, concluded: "It has been an exceptional year for Sonoro as we continue to advance our dual drilling program and meet important early-stage milestones towards our goal of achieving production. Our strategy of continuing to explore and develop Cerro Caliche's extensive shallow oxide gold mineralization has been successful, while our fast-track program to test the viability of our proposed 20,000-tonne-per-day mining operation is on schedule. Most importantly, the recent drill results continue to exceed our expectations and support our decision to evaluate a material increase in the conceptual capacity of an initial mining operation. We believe this production decision will be welcomed by all shareholders."

Results from Abel zone

In the Abel vein zone located in the eastern part of the property, a scout exploratory core drill hole, SCD017, was completed. This hole cut the vein structural zone with narrow intercepts of 0.3 to 0.33 g/t Au that are not considered significant. The Abel zone has similar geochemistry to the Sultan zone and, like the Sultan zone, is interpreted to be below the Cerro Caliche epithermal system's ideal boiling zone.

Quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) measures and analytical procedures

Drill samples are collected with an airstream cyclone and passed into a splitter that divides each sample into quarters. The quartered samples are then bagged and sealed with identification. The sample group has blanks, standards and duplicates inserted into the sample stream.

Bureau Veritas (BV) collects the samples and transports them directly to the preparation laboratory in Hermosillo, Sonora. At the laboratory, part of each sample is reduced through crushing, splitting and pulverization. About 200 grams are sent by BV to its Vancouver, B.C., laboratory and dissolved in aqua regia for multielement ICP analysis, including silver. Of these samples, 30 grams undergo fire assay in Hermosillo for gold by reducing the fire assay to a concentrated button of material that is dissolved in acids and the gold content determined by atomic absorption.

Some samples were collected by ALS-Chemex and transported directly to the preparation laboratory in Hermosillo, Sonora. At the laboratory, part of each sample is reduced through crushing, splitting and pulverization from which 200 grams are sent to the ALS-Chemex assay laboratory in Vancouver. Thirty grams undergo fire assay for gold with the resulting concentrated button of material produced is dissolved in acids and the gold is determined by atomic absorption. Another quantity of the sample is dissolved in four acids for an ICP multielement analysis.

No QA/QC issues were noted with the results received from either laboratory.

Geologic description

Cerro Caliche is located 45 kilometres east-southeast of Magdalena de Kino in the Cucurpe-Sonora megadistrict of Sonora, Mexico. Multiple historic underground mines were developed in the concession, including Cabeza Blanca, Los Cuervos, Japoneses, Las Abejas, Boluditos, El Colorado, Veta de Oro and Espanola. Mineralization types of the Cucurpe-Sonora megadistrict include variants of epithermal low-sulphidation veins and related mineralized dikes and associated volcanic domes. Local altered felsic dikes cut the mineralized metasedimentary rock units and may be associated with mineralization both in the dikes and metasedimentary rocks.

Host rocks include Jurassic-Cretaceous metasedimentary rock units, including argillite, shale, quartzite, limestone, quartz pebble conglomerate and andesite. Younger intrusive rock consisting of medium coarse-grained granodiorite-granite is present in the westerly parts of the concessions near the historic Cabeza Blanca mine. It is apparent that veining cuts and pervasively alters the intrusive stock. Rhyolite occurs in irregular bodies distributed in higher elevations in the northerly part of the concession, including the Rincon area, where it occurs as flows, sills, dikes and rhyolite domes. Part of the rhyolite is mineralized and appears to be related to epithermal gold mineralization throughout the property.

Qualified person statement

Stephen Kenwood, professional geoscientist, a director of Sonoro, is a qualified person within the context of National Instrument 43-101 and has read and approved this news release. Readers are cautioned that the presence of mineralization on historic mines adjacent to or on Cerro Caliche is not necessarily indicative of gold mineralization in the concessions held by the company.

About Sonoro Gold Corp.

Sonoro Gold is a publicly listed exploration and development company with a portfolio of exploration-stage precious metal properties in Sonora state, Mexico. The company has highly experienced operational and management teams with proven records for the discovery and development of natural resource deposits.

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