I love sherry. I've mentioned it before. I'm also very fond of Emilio Lustau's fantastic wines. I've mentioned that before as well. Many people use Christmas as an excuse to drink sherry. I need no such excuses - it's just a happy coincidence. These wines aren't cheap - £60 for a 50cl bottle.
The term VORS is often mistaken for "Very Old Rare Sherry" - it's actually "Vinum Optimum Rare Signatum".
Lustau Amontillado 30yo VORS
Bronze and pale maple.
Salted almonds and tea leaves with notes of caramel and pecans on the nose.
Remarkably salted palate. I would almost think this came from Sanlucar and started life as a Manzanilla Fino. Getting past the salt is crushed nuts and tobacco leaf. Quite intense, though in desperate need of food. Can't quite get my head around it.
**
Lustau Palo Cortado 30yo VORS
Bright maple and copper.
Far richer nose. There's rich mixed nuts with a hint of marzipan, some pimms-soaked mint, salted caramel and ground coffee. Compelling.
Tremendous structure on the palate. It kicks off with dry raisins, almonds and salted peanuts. Then comes the dry tea leaves - Assam or something cool like that. It's huge and rich and dry and complex and damn I love it. The finish goes on and on.
*****
Lustau Oloroso 30 VORS
Darker with more varnish, but no less brilliance.
Sweet dried fruit with cocoa dust, maple syrup and pecans. Classic rich, dry sherry throwing that sweet nose curveball.
The palate, as it should be, is much bigger than the other two. It's quite hedonistic and rich, with sweet caramel edges to that dry fruit and nut core. There's also iced tea with a touch of citrus. Every taste reveals a little more. The depth lasts through on another lingering finish. Brilliant stuff. Better than the Palo? I'm liking it more at the moment, but I think they could easily trade places from time to time.
*****
Lustau Pedro Ximinez 30yo VORS
This is a cracking PX. But they all kind of taste the same to me. Enormous, viscous, Raisin-y, treacle-y goodness. I could only drink a glass, but it would be a big one.
***
Tasted 18/12/2010 at Luvians Bottleshop
2 comments:
If VORS does not stand for Very Old Rare Sherry, then I find it surprising that the label of the bottle I am looking at right now has those very words printed on it - and that the guide who took us round a few days ago also used those words!
Hi Big Geoff,
The Latin came first. The English followed.
Richard
Post a Comment