| Region of production: | Jerez-Xérès-Sherry |
| Winery Location: | Jerez de la Frontera (Cadiz) |
| Year Established: | 1896 |
Vineyard Holdings
220 ha
- Montegilillo and Benito, in addition to longstanding contracts with independent growers throughout Jerez DO. They grow almost entirely Palomino Fino, with some Pedro Ximinez and Moscatel, and a tiny quantity of the rare Tintilla de Rota.
Top Wines Produced
- Puerto Fino
- Oloroso Añada
- East India Solera
Average Total Production
- Lustau (including almacenistas) hold stocks with 40,000 butts (500 litres). Sherry regulations dictate that only up to one third of the total stockholding can be bottled and shipped per year, but Lustau ages their sherries longer, and ship less per year.
Summary
Lustau is considered by many as a standard of Sherry wines, with a huge presence in the export market (particularly in the United States). While the house’s production is very expansive and varied, the majority of their production is entry-level and serves as an introduction to Sherry for many consumers and markets.
José Ruiz-Berdejo established the house in 1896 as an almacenista and sold the wines to larger bodegas. The house was taken over by his son-in-law, Emilio Lustau Ortega, in 1931, in the first of two major expansions. Beginning in the 1950’s, Emilio played a major role in establishing Lustau as both successful but a more progressive house with a large international presence.
The second major expansion came during the 1980s under Rafael Balao, who launched their Almacenista line of Sherries—first bottled from original stocks remaining from the bodega’s almacenista days and expanded to include small, independent producers all bottled and marketed by Lustau. In 1990, the house was sold to the large Brandy and Sherry producer Grupo Cabellero, a sale that gave Lustau the financial backing for further expansion and investment. In 2008, Lustau purchased many wines from Beam Global after Domecq folded. They now control many of the most famous of Domecq’s wines, including La Ina (one of Spain’s market leading Finos), Manzanilla Macarena, Amontillado Botaina, Oloroso Río Viejo, Candela Cream and PX Viña 25.
Lustau produces approximately thirty different wines, which fall into four major categories. Their Solera Reserva range comprises the majority of their production, along with the Almacenista wines, and their range of Lustau specialties, which include all VORS wines. The Almacenista line introduced by Rafael Balao was the first to feature the original producer name on the label, introduced in 1981, something that had never been done before. It includes the wines purchased from Domecq, including their famous Fino, La Ina. The range of Lustau specialties debuted in 2010, with only about 1500 bottles of each produced.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Grapes are pressed in pneaumatic presses and fermented in stainless steel. Unique to Lustau, all wines spend at least some time under flor for more complexity (dependent on each individual wine). The wines are generally aged for three years minimum, but depending on the wine, up to thirty years. The Oloroso Añada is made from Palomino and aged many years in cask as a single-vintage sherry, with no solera blending. Despite the expansive range of various wines, the style of the bodega leans toward a plusher, more forward style overall.
Producer Website: Emilio Lustau