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Emilio Lustau

Emilio Lustau, one of Spain's greatest Sherry bodegas, is named after Don Emilio Lustau Ortega, son-in-law of founder Don José Ruiz-Berdejo y Veyan. Don José, of French descent, founded the family firm in 1896 at his home in Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza, but in the 1940s Don Emilio moved the firm to the Santiago district. The firm saw significant expansion, and joined the ranks of the top Sherry producers under Don Emilio's name. The family home was never abandoned, though, and in the 1970s extensive cellars were constructed there.

Emilio Lustau Sherry Emilio Lustau is now a leader in Sherry production, certainly when judged on quality. The revolution started in 1981, when the late Rafeal Balao, then the manager, introduced the Almacenista range of wines. This concept reflected the company's origins, as Don José Ruiz-Berdejo y Veyan had originally been an Almacenista - a storekeeper or stockholder of Sherry - before broadening his business. The Almacenistas are small business operations, small family owned bodegas which, in many cases, are run by local professionals such as doctors and lawyers almost as a hobby, as well as local businessmen. These families sold the product of their soleras to the Sherry firms, the wines being blended into large volume cuvées. Balao became concerned that the fine properties of these wines, which were produced in miniscule quantities and were generally of very high quality, were lost in the blending process. As a consequence he decided that some should be bottled separately.

There are a small number of Almacenistas associated with Emilio Lustau, and they produce a well defined selection of wines for the Almacenista range:

Vides - Jurado - Florido - Jarana - Obregon - Zamarano

The labels on Almacenista wines always declare the number of butts in the solera. Hence a label may display the numbers 1/38, indicating that the wine came from a solera of 38 butts.

In 1990 the business was sold to Luis Caballero, another long established family business. This brought the added advantage of size to Emilio Lustau, which despite expansion over the years remained a rather small business in comparison with some of the giants of Jerez. All the sherries produced here are now labelled as Emilio Lustau in foreign markets. This includes not only the Almacenista wines, but also a range of specialist (limited editions) and Solera Reserva sherries. Some of these can be of excellent quality and value, but I think it is the Almacenista range of wines that deserve most attention. It is this range of wines that makes Lustau unique - with these cuvées they go against the grain, which tends to focus on large volume blended wines. And yet in doing this they do not devalue Sherry; if anything they add to it, focussing the spotlight on the small Almacenistas who, in many cases, produce these wines out of a passion rather than a commercial consideration. (7/12/04)

Contact details:
Address: Calle Arros 53, 11402 Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz
Telephone: +34 956 341 597
Fax: +34 956 347 789
Internet: www.emilio-lustau.com

Emilio Lustau - Tasting Notes

Notes are ordered by date of tasting, most recent first. Click to locate stockists.

Fino & Manzanilla

Lustau Almacenista Manzanilla Pasada de Sanlúcar 1/80 Jurado: Correct pale hue. Good salty, tangy ripeness on the nose. Gentle entry, displaying good balance and a nice fluidity, although with a wormwood and sage character. Caresses the palate to some extent, with a soft texture and decent weight, before opening out on the finish with alcoholic, herby notes. Good. 15.5/20 (November 2004)

Lustau Almacenista Manzanilla Amontillada de Sanlúcar 1/21 Jurado: Delicate golden brown hue. Lovely, expressive nose, with toffee, burnt orange, baked earth and a sweet, smoky element. Very classic, dry but with a fine, rounded warmness, showing quite a delicious yet balanced weight through the midpalate. Great character reflecting the nose, and super, concentrated length. This is lovely wine. 17/20 (November 2004)

Lustau Puerto Fino: A very pale colour, as Fino is protected from the effects of oxidation by the mat of flor that floats on the surface of the wine. Good flor character on the nose, with some tangy mineral and cashew nut character. Seems quite elegant. On the palate, rounded, very dry and very clean. Good flor, tangy and a spicy note on the midpalate which persists through the finish. Tasted at an Emilio Lustau dinner. 17.5/20 (September 2002)

Lustau Almacenista Manzanilla Pasada de Sanlúcar 1/80 Jurado: This has a lemon-gold colour, a hue slightly deeper than that of the Fino. Accordingly it has a richer, fuller nose, which is more obviously nutty. The palate is big, quite nutty, with a citrus tang. It is still very dry despite the rich, full character. Again, this wine also has prominent spicy acidity on the midpalate. Tasted at an Emilio Lustau dinner. 16/20 (September 2002)

Lustau Almacenista Manzanilla Amontillada de Sanlúcar 1/21 Jurado: An amber-gold caramel colour. A wonderful nose, full of coffee, toffee and figs, with a burnt character, and yet a fresh lift. Despite this initial promise the wine is relatively light on the palate, clean with strong acidity. Nicely rounded, and I sense a hint of the flor that once graced this wine. Tasted at an Emilio Lustau dinner. 16/20 (September 2002)

Palo Cortado

Lustau Almacenista Palo Cortado 1/50 Vides: What a lovely toasted orange-amber hue - and what a nose! A gentle but complex interplay of vanilla toffee and pepper, cured meats, earth and burnt wood. A beautifully balanced entry, quite elegant and almost ethereal, yet developing a gentle creaminess through the midpalate. A little grip behind it, before it fans out on the finish to give a firm, sweetly ripe impression, leading into a complex length. This is quite stunning; I am very impressed. 18.5/20 (November 2004)

Lustau Palo Cortado: A similar amber-gold hue, just slightly deeper, richer and darker. This wine is much more shy on the nose. There are some notes of marmalade, fig and toffee in the background. The palate, however, is pleasing - open and mouthfilling, full and rounded. Plenty of flavour mirroring those aromas found on the nose. Great spice and good acidity. Tasted at an Emilio Lustau dinner. 16.5/20 (September 2002)

Amontillado

Lustau Amontillado Los Arcos: Gorgeous golden-amber-brown hue. On the nose there are aromas of baked dirt, nuts and Dundee cake. There is plenty of weight on entry, but the wine offers little in the way of flavour at first. There is perhaps even a touch of oxidation. This changes on the midpalate, where there is a strong kick of alcohol, while the flavour fans out particularly on the finish to deliver notes of nuts and wood. 14.5/20 (November 2004)

Lustau Almacenista Amontillado del Puerto 1/143 Obregon: A golden amber-brown. Very expressive nose, its aromas filling the room; figs, baked earth, woody musk and cinnamon. Good flavour on the palate, which is smoky and nutty. Very focussed and balanced, with great weight and an appealing warmth. Very good. 17/20 (November 2004)

Lustau Almacenista Amontillado de Jerez 1/30 Florido: Fairly deep, toasted-brown hue. A lovely nose, full of warm figs, nuts and vanilla oak. Very clean, moderately weighty, characterful palate. Rounded, nutty, baked notes. Good, flavoursome style with good integration of components. Very good length too. 16/20 (November 2004)

Oloroso

Lustau Oloroso: Fabulous colour here, a rich golden-amber-brown. On the nose, the axle-grease hallmark of Pedro Ximénez, used to sweeten up the wine, together with a sweet, sticky Pistachio nut and honey infused sponge reminiscent of tasty Baklawa. The palate has a wonderful, sweet, rounded texture, full of the nut and honey flavours found on the nose. A sharp grip and firm, tingling acidity keep the wine fresh in the mouth. A lingering finish. 16.5/20 (November 2004)

Lustau Almacenista Oloroso Pata de Gallina 1/38 Jarana: A dark, nutty-brown hue, leading to aromas of leather, baked oranges and woody spices on the nose. The nutty theme continues on the palate, with baked fruit notes and a little volatile acidity. Sweet ripeness but again a classic and dry style. Very warm, expansive, lengthy finish. Very good. 16/20 (November 2004)

Lustau Almacenista Oloroso de Jerez 1/16 Zamorano: A lovely, orange-amber-brown hue. The nose has orange peel, nuts, toffee and raisins, washed in a vanilla cream. This is lovely. Rich palate, although classic and dry. Deeply textured, full and nutty, with firm acidity. Fans out on the finish to reveal a panoply of warm, complex flavours. Very good indeed. 17/20 (November 2004)

Lustau Almacenista Oloroso de Jerez 1/16 Zamorano: A rich, amber-gold wine. A very expressive nose, very big, full of fig, orange and marmalade sweetness. Full and rounded on the palate, a touch sweeter than the previous wines. Figs and nuts on the palate. Mouth filling, and balanced. Tasted at an Emilio Lustau dinner. 16/20 (September 2002)

Sweeter Styles

Lustau Old East India Solera: A sherry I first tasted at a Lustau dinner in Liverpool back in 2002, when it seems to have been designated a reserva - that no longer appears to be the case. This has the same, deep and warm, walnut brown hue as I recall from that tasting five years ago, although without the evident complexity of colour. The nose is very interesting and also belies the presence of PX in the blend, its sweet yet vegetal, axle-grease signature aroma clearly displayed for all to appreciate, alongside the raisined fruit and dried nuts. Rich and creamy on the palate, with warmth, spice, toffee, hazelnut and raisins all in abundance, this is an absolute delight to drink. Wonderful definition and a peppery acidity keep it fresh and lively. Excellent. A 2007 Christmas wine. 18/20 (December 2007)

Lustau Old East India Solera Reserva: Wow - what a colour. With the help of some background light this initially black-looking wine displays gold, amber, red and caramel hues all intertwined. A rich nose, with sweet, scented molasses, and yet you sense this will have balance rather than sticky sweetness. This is indeed the case - the palate has great balance, with acidity, alcohol and sweet molasses fruit all playing a part. Lovely. Tasted at an Emilio Lustau dinner. 18/20 (September 2002)

Lustau Pedro Ximénez Solera Reserva: A deep, luscious golden-brown wine. A lovely nose, full of Christmas cake, toffee, treacle and raisin aromas. Plainly a sweet and rich wine. On the palate this is confirmed, and there is a wonderful attack of rich, viscous sweetness, carrying toffee, fig, raisin, caramel and walnut flavours. Unfortunately the wine lacks acidity - producing a cloying mouthfeel, rather than the fresh, acidic cleansing I would hope for. Consequently I can't give this the excellent rating that it would otherwise deserve. Tasted at an Emilio Lustau dinner. 17.5/20 (September 2002)