Bodegas Emilio Lustau

Bodegas Emilio Lustau was established in 1896 and was initially a small family concern until the founder`s son-in-law placed it on a business footing. The firm is perhaps best known as pioneering the Almacenista system, whereby individual dry Sherries are produced from small private holdings. These are bottled under Lustau`s name but with the individual bodega's name on the label as well. Today they are amongst the most sought-out Sherries in the region.

The famous house of Emilio Lustau has been maturing Fino Sherries in Puerto de Santa María since 1869. This superlative example harnesses their expertise to offer a wine of great pedigree. Aromatics of sea air, yeast and green apples lead to an equally distinguished palate, which is marked by its smoky gravitas and great potential to match a wide variety of tapas dishes.

Bodegas Emilio Lustau was established in 1896 and was initially a small family concern until the founder`s son-in-law placed it on a business footing. The firm is perhaps best known as pioneering the Almacenista system, whereby individual dry Sherries are produced from small private holdings. These are bottled under Lustau`s name but with the individual bodega's name on the label as well. Today they are amongst the most sought-out Sherries in the region.

This Amontillado, especially blended for us and classically aged in Jerez de la Frontera, expertly captures vestigial freshness from the flor yeast, which has been allowed to die, in return adding colour, texture and complex malty hazelnut flavours to an unnervingly complex ensemble.

Bodegas Emilio Lustau was established in 1896 and was initially a small family concern until the founder`s son-in-law placed it on a business footing. The firm is perhaps best known as pioneering the Almacenista system, whereby individual dry Sherries are produced from small private holdings. These are bottled under Lustau`s name but with the individual bodega's name on the label as well. Today they are amongst the most sought-out Sherries in the region.

Aged for 12 years in the bodegas of Jerez, this is rusty gold in colour. Full-bodied, it has great intensity on the nose due to the long ageing. This wine combines softness and great complexity, giving enormous length on the palate. Rich stews and red meats would be a very good food pairing for this wine. It is also an excellent digestif.

Aged in the town of Puerto de Santa María this Fino could be said to be in between the Manzanilla and Jerez Fino in style, rounder and more intense than Manzanilla, but more subtle than the Jerez Fino. Notes of almonds and yeasty dough are combined with hints of cooked apple and a complex tangy bitterness, almost like struck match. It has a delicious subtle nutty aftertaste.

The Jerez Fino is the richest and roundest of Lustau’s three en rama Sherries. Being aged the furthest inland, in the town of Jerez de la Frontera, it develops the thinnest layer of flor. Delicious, almost Amontillado-like nuttiness is complemented by tangy acidity, subtle minerality and ripe fruit notes of apple and quince. Very long finish.

A rich red colour hints at this bitter’s original Sherry base which is infused with wormwood, sage, coriander, gentian, angelica and orange peel. Sweet aromas of ripe fruit are accompanied by citrus and herbal notes, layered over wood-smoke. The palate is velvety, intensely flavoured but balanced in fruit and poised between sweet and dry. The classic bitter finish is delicately accompanied by a distinctive nutty Jerez aftertaste. Perfect in a Negroni, it is also surprisingly good on its own poured over ice.

A blend based around two classic Jerez wines: a dry, mineral and crisp Fino Sherry, and a sweet and floral Moscatel. These wines are infused with wormwood, marjoram, rosemary, gentian, orange peel and camomile to give the whole an incredibly complex bouquet. Bright yellow in colour, on the nose it shows floral, citrus and herbaceous notes over a yeasty and mineral background. The finish culminates in a bitterness perfectly in balance with the rich nutty notes. This works beautifully in many cocktails but is more commonly drunk over ice as an apéritif.

Stockholder Don Jaun García Jarana runs this 100-year-old bodega as a hobby, his 300 butts including Finos, Amontillados and Olorosos. His main business is as proprietor of a company called Two Wheels, importing Japanese motorcycles. Despite the apparent lack of synergy, or maybe because of it, his Olorosos are widely acclaimed.

Dark in colour with aromas of dried fruits, this is a rich and concentrated wine. An Oloroso (the word means “fragrant” in Spanish) from the oldest solera, this would be equally at home with game or the cheese board. .

Luscious date and fig aromas tempt the senses for what is to come, the commensurately voluptuous palate rejoices in engorged fruit and opulent spice. The finish is bursting at the seam with the world’s greatest candied-peel, Sanguinello orange, ripe plums and top-class espresso with one-too-many sugars. If, like me, you wish that Christmas pudding was not so unfairly relegated to just one paltry month of the year, this is the Brandy for you.
Robert Whitehead, Spirits Buyer

A perfect sherry for puddings such as fruit salad and fruit cake; marmalade and orange peel notes to the fore and a seductive freshness that belies the fortification, the 195 grams of sugar and the weight in the mouth. Dried figs and molasses provide the lower notes, but it is the refreshing character which is the most memorable and pleasurable feature of the wine.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer