Lustau VORS 30 Year Old Oloroso Sherry
Jerez Oloroso
NV

The producer

Founded in 1896 by Don Jose Ruiz-Berdejo. Lustau was an almacenista (small sherry wholesaler) in the early years, and it was not until the 1950s that the company became Emilio Lustau SA, and started bottling and selling their own wines. In 1990, Lustau was bought by the Louis Caballero group. Bodega Lustau is widely considered one of the finest producers in Jerez, and has over the years won many awards, including oenologist Manuel Lozano being named the world’s best fortified wine maker for the fifth year in a row in 2014.

Lustau is especially famous for the “Almacenista” range of wines, which they introduced in the 1980s, and which consists in buying and maturing casks from small bodegas and then later bottling and releasing them with the original bodega name on the label. Altogether, Lustau’s range is vast, covering all sherry styles, and with over 15,000 casks maturing in their cellars.

At The Perfect Bottle we list the Oloroso VORS, which comes from a selection of 9 casks of over 30-year-old sherries, and displays a powerful character and concentration, and with compelling aromas of marron glace, nougat, dried apricots, and plums.    

The wine

The Lustau VORS 30 Year Old Oloroso Sherry is a remarkable example of aged Jerez wine, showcasing a deep old gold color with bronze hues. Originating from a meticulous selection of only nine casks by Manuel Lozano, the former Cellar Master of Lustau, this sherry is a testament to the bodega's commitment to quality and tradition. Its profile is intensely aromatic and complex, filled with notes of nougat, dried apricots, and plums. On the palate, it delivers a powerful mouthfeel reminiscent of marron glacé and old brandy, underpinned by a great concentration that speaks to its age and crafting process. This Oloroso has been bottled directly from the barrel without any treatment, which might result in some natural cloudiness or sediment, adding to its authenticity and richness.

We choose our wines based on a range of criteria (see how we choose our wines) of which critic scores is just one. Rather than simply highlight the best score to promote a wine, our average critic score is calculated from the scores provided by several respected wine critics, who we follow for specific regions. They do not represent all critic scores and, wherever possible, we try and give more weight to more recent reviews. Where appropriate we consider market-based scores like Global Wine Score or Wine Searcher Average scores.

As a rule, we look to offer wines that achieve a 92/100 average critic score or better and frankly a lot of very good wines simply don’t make the cut. As a high-end provider we want to reflect that positioning in the quality of wines we offer. Such wines are only a tiny fraction of those generally on offer in the market. We believe that an average score is a more conservative and representative approach, but it is still subjective and only offered as a guide to our customers, who will (and should) do their own research. We will add individual critic scores to our website in the future.