NV Emilio Lustau - Jerez Don Nuno Oloroso Sherry (750ml)

Emilio Lustau grew out of a family vineyard south of Jerez de la Frontera, where José Ruiz-Berdejo began aging wine as an almacenista, a small-scale producer supplying larger Sherry houses, back in 1896. His descendants carried the business into Jerez proper and eventually launched it under the Lustau name in the mid-twentieth century, expanding into exports by the 1950s. A 1990 merger with the Luis Caballero Group gave the house the resources to grow further, and Lustau remains a benchmark producer across the full range of Sherry styles.

Don Nuño is an Oloroso, a style built on oxidative rather than biological aging. Unlike Manzanilla or Fino, this wine is fortified to a higher alcohol level early on, which discourages the growth of flor and allows the wine to develop instead through slow contact with air inside the cask. It moves through Lustau's solera system in American oak, reaching an average age of around twelve years before bottling, a process that concentrates its color and deepens its nutty, oxidative character.

This Oloroso pours a dark bronze with a golden rim. The nose is pungent and nutty, backed by a smoky wood note, while the palate delivers bitter chocolate, walnut, and baked chestnut flavors with a tangy, cutting acidity beneath the richness. Serve it slightly chilled alongside aged cheeses, red meat, game, or hearty stews.