Other Wines

#26 On The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines Of 2024!

93 points Wine Spectator
Sleek and fresh, with dark plum and blackberry notes laced with singed alder and ganache. Shows nice drive through the polished finish as the fruit expands. Drink now through 2031.

90pts- Wine Enthusiast:
Dry fino sherry imported from Spain. From the eighth largest sherry producer in the world, the Barbadillo family has been producing sherry since 1821. Pale straw color. Fresh, yeasty aroma. Light-bodied, clean and crisp with a zippy acidity. Dry, nutty, yeasty flavors. Serve well chilled as an aperitif or during the meal.

96pts Wine Advocate:
"A mind-blowing sherry is the non-vintage Palo Cortado Peninsula Solera Reserva. Like all Lustau sherries except for the East India, it is made from the Palomino varietal. A dry, crisp, full-throttle, intense sherry offering incredibly complex, nutty aromas, it represents a style that falls between the Amontillado and the more oxidized, heavier Oloroso."

Aged in American oak casks in the traditional "Solera y Criaderas" in the Lustau bodegas in Jerez de la Frontera. This exceptional sherry brings together the finesse and delicacy of an Amontillado with the richness and body of an Oloroso.

Emilio Lustau SA was founded in 1896 by Don Jose Ruiz-Berdejo. In the beginning, Lustau was essentially an Almacenista, a modest estate with small holdings that sold most of its wine to large exporting Bodegas. It was not until the 1950s that Lustau became Emilio Lustau SA, and it joined the prestigious ranks of a select group of exporters of Sherry. In the early 1980s, Emilio Lustau SA, then under the management of the late Rafael Balao, became one of the most innovative companies in Jerez, launching the "Almacenista" line and creating the distinctive bottle that we know today. Lustau is now widely considered one of the finest producers of Sherry, with their Almacenista line breaking new ground in hand-crafted, boutique wines. These Sherries, drawing on rare and marvelous wines held by small producers, are some of the finest Sherries made today.

Lustau offers a wide array of Sherries; bone-dry Finos are wonderful matches with garlic-y shrimp and langostinos. Racy Amontillados balance power with finesse and are wonderful with nuts, olives, cheeses, and jamon Serrano. Powerful Olorosos can be served during a meal and match well with traditional soups and stews. Of course, the wide range of dessert wines from Lustau are unparalleled; the elegant East India Cream Sherry is as soft as silk, the Moscatels offers a delightful citrus edge that keeps the wines lively on the palate while the dark Pedro Ximenez is best served as a "syrup" over vanilla ice cream, pancakes or waffles.

93pts Wine Advocate:
"The much sweeter, honeyed, syrupy 2008 Pedro Ximenez de Anada exhibits a dark amber color along with notes of roasted nuts, molassas, Chinese black tea and honeysuckle. Rich, unctuous and full, it is best served slightly chilled after dinner."

Alvear was founded in 1729 and remains under the control of the same family. They own 307 acres of vineyards in the Montilla-Moriles appellation. Anyone who visits the area recognizes the incredible white soils "albariza or albero", which are dominated by chalk/limestone and the key to the great acids these products possess.

This is rich on the nose, with candied fruit, fruitcake, toffee and maple syrup. Full-bodied and medium sweet, with a brilliant aftertaste of fruit and caramel. Lasts for minutes on your palate. - WS92

#76 on The Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2023!

93 points Wine Spectator
Lovely, with a mix of persimmon, white peach, hazelnut, green tea and singed alder notes all moving together in streamlined harmony. The long, elegant finish has nice latent energy. Drink now.

Lean and restrained, with focused spicy plum and chocolate flavors, gaining some interest in the tension between sweetness and alcohol. - WS78

Wine Spectator:
"Plump and on the sweet side, with golden raisin, date, pear eau-de-vie and peach melba notes, backed by a light twinge of bitter almond that keeps this honest. Drink now. 87,000 cases made."

A distinctive blend of Palomino and Pedro Ximenez grapes. Aged in oak casks for 6 years in the traditional Solera method.

For over 130 years, Bodegas Williams & Humbert have been producing the finest sherries and brandies; as well as a diverse portfolio of spirits, utilizing one of the most traditional methods of ageing, the solera method. Founded in 1877 by Sir Alexander Williams and Arthur Humbert, Bodega Williams & Humbert has been considered to be one of the world?€?s most prestigious wine producers in the world. They were involved in the creation of the Jerez-Xeres-Brandy Quality Demarcation, as well as the criteria for evaluating sherries. Now owned by the Medina family, two generations work side by side in the creation of the wines and spirits. Located in the heart of Jerez de la Frontera, Bodega Williams & Humbert has more than 1,200 acres of vineyards, and the largest wine cellar in Europe. The family owned and operated Bodega has produced a great variety of high quality sherries, while maintaining the traditional methods of solera aging. Solera is a method of producing wines, where small amounts of younger wines are systematically blended with the more mature wines over a period of time. Bodega Williams & Humbert has a variety of sherry lines, most notably the Dry Sack medium created in 1906, a staple sherry among many restaurants around the world. In the US, Bodegas Williams & Humbert has three lines of sherries - Dry Sack, Don Zoilo, and the rare aged. Each tier offers expressions that range from dry to sweet profiles. Bodegas Williams & Humbert has one of the largest and most diverse offerings of 20 and 30 year old Rare and Very Rare age expressions. The Bodegas Williams & Humbert portfolio also includes spirits such as Gran Duque D?€?Alba Brandies, Crema D?€?Alba, and Dos Maderas Rums.

93 pts Wine Advocate
The non-vintage Dry Amontillado Los Arcos Solera Reserva reveals a medium amber hue along with a nutty, honeyed, dry personality with great acid.
Lustau made its reputation in the foreign markets with its extraordinary single cask Almacenistas which had been accumulated by the family over many years as their soleras are among the oldest in Sherry. The family also owns over 500 acres of vineyards. These are all remarkable efforts for their stunning value. While they are still under-the-radar for most American wine lovers, I encourage readers to give them a try as they are great introductory reference points for how profound sherry can be. I first wrote about the extraordinary sherries of Emilio Lustau many years ago, in the early days of The Wine Advocate. The portfolio of under 25 a bottle selections represents remarkable value for their complex, well-made personalities. Lustau includes a bottling date code as purchasers would want to buy Finos and Manzanillas as young as possible. It is difficult to describe the glories of sherry, but Ill try. These Solera Reservas are all great reference points at a low price point from Lustau. None of the Almacenista soleras, which are single cask and very limited bottlings, are reviewed since they are priced over 25 a bottle, but they can be as profound as any alcoholic beverage in the world

"The dark amber-hued non-vintage East India Solera is essentially an old Oloroso blended with an old Pedro Ximenez, which gives it a sweet character. It offers more mature notes of maple syrup, brown sugar, spice box, raisin and chocolate beer nuts, and its terrific balancing acidity cuts through the sweetness. This delicious effort is best drunk after the meal." 96pts WA

A blend of 12-year-old Don Nuno Oloroso (80%) and San Emilio PX which is also about 12 years old. One of the great icons of Lustau. Its aging process mimics that of some 17th century wines developed during transatlantic journeys to distant Spanish colonies. To achieve this, after aging separately in their own soleras, the Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez that comprise it, are combined and undergo a second aging process in a solera of 33 barrels at the Sacristia de Bodegas Lustau, with its elevated humidity and temperatures that replicate the climatic conditions that the wines would have experienced on their journeys.

Emilio Lustau SA was founded in 1896 by Don Jose Ruiz-Berdejo. In the beginning, Lustau was essentially an Almacenista, a modest estate with small holdings that sold most of its wine to large exporting Bodegas. It was not until the 1950s that Lustau became Emilio Lustau SA, and it joined the prestigious ranks of a select group of exporters of Sherry. In the early 1980s, Emilio Lustau SA, then under the management of the late Rafael Balao, became one of the most innovative companies in Jerez, launching the "Almacenista" line and creating the distinctive bottle that we know today. Lustau is now widely considered one of the finest producers of Sherry, with their Almacenista line breaking new ground in hand-crafted, boutique wines. These Sherries, drawing on rare and marvelous wines held by small producers, are some of the finest Sherries made today.

Lustau offers a wide array of Sherries; bone-dry Finos are wonderful matches with garlic-y shrimp and langostinos. Racy Amontillados balance power with finesse and are wonderful with nuts, olives, cheeses, and jamon Serrano. Powerful Olorosos can be served during a meal and match well with traditional soups and stews. Of course, the wide range of dessert wines from Lustau are unparalleled; the elegant East India Cream Sherry is as soft as silk, the Moscatels offers a delightful citrus edge that keeps the wines lively on the palate while the dark Pedro Ximenez is best served as a "syrup" over vanilla ice cream, pancakes or waffles.

Fresh and fruit-centric, the price here may be super accessible for everyday, but its treatment by this famed Douro producer is nothing less than classically old-school. The point in a young, vintage-blended ruby is to keep the fruit lively and juicy, with a texture that feels velvety-luxurious in your mouth and is nothing less than a pleasure on the tongue. Taylor Fladgate's Special Ruby NV port sees up to four years in large, oak casks and when you sip it, you can really feel that intense softness and supple texture from not rushing it through the process. It's got pretty notes of black and red plums and bright cherry, and is oh-so irresistible alongside some pungent, tangy Cashel blue cheese. -- PJ

Silky and plush, this tawny sees about 3 years of barrel aging in small oak casks, giving it a rich, amber hue and deliciously decadent notes of butterscotch, toffee, vanilla, and dried fig. For port-lovers, this a great every-day sipper for the price -- a little bit of luxury in the middle of the week! -- PJ

It's such a shame that white port is such an unknown to so many dessert-wine lovers. In part, it's because of that dreadful barely vinified deluge, Thunderbird, but let's pretend that version of white port never existed. And let's assume that only this one did. Ramos's version is a bright, golden delight, with notes of honeysuckle, white flowers, apples and pears. Pop it in the 'fridge for a half hour or so to get a little chill on it and serve with a nice, slender slice of tarte tatin. -- PJ

Fresh and fruit-centric, the price here may be super accessible for everyday, but its treatment by this famed Douro producer is nothing less than classically old-school. The point in a young, vintage-blended ruby is to keep the fruit lively and juicy, with a texture that feels velvety-luxurious in your mouth and is nothing less than a pleasure on the tongue. Taylor Fladgate's Special Ruby NV port sees up to four years in large, oak casks and when you sip it, you can really feel that intense softness and supple texture from not rushing it through the process. It's got pretty notes of black and red plums and bright cherry, and is oh-so irresistible alongside some pungent, tangy Cashel blue cheese. -- PJ

"The NV Palo Cortado Obispo Gascon, produced from Palomino grapes averaging 20 years old, and shows the telltale nose of Palo Cortado with its lactic touch and an off-dry nose of apricots, blond tobacco and spices. The palate is dominated by the salty notes (common to all Barbadillo wines), sharp, medium-bodied, with great length. Drink 2013-2019." 92pts WA

The Palo Cortado sherries are particularly special within the Jerez-X??r??s-Sherry Designation of Origin. This is because despite the fact that production follows the similar physical-chemical process of oxidative ageing as with the olorosos, the result is quite different with their organoleptic characteristics falling somewhere between those of an amontillado and an oloroso.

Barbadillo is, without a doubt, both the largest and the leading bodega of Sanlucar de Barrameda. Created in 1821 by Benigno Barbadillo, the company it?€?s still owned today by the seventh generation of the Barbadillo family, dozens of stockholders spread throughout Spain, although not necessarily involved in the operations. The business has also expanded, not only within the Sherry district, where they sell an impressive 12 million bottles of wine annually (a lot of it is the young and fruity Castillo de San Diego, which at one point was the biggest selling white wine in Spain), 40% of which are exported, but also in Ribera del Duero and Somontano. They employ 300 people and their wines are available in 39 different countries. In Sherry they own 500 hectares of vineyards, stock around 60% of the total production of Manzanilla which ages in 12,500 botas in their great cellars in Sanlucar, mainly in La Arboledilla winery, the tallest bodega in the Marco de Jerez, an impressive 16 meters high, and in a network of 16 other large and small bodegas in the Barrio Alto, the High Quarter of Sanlucar de Barrameda. They are constantly innovating and experimenting, be it with red or sparkling wines or within the Manzanilla world, as they were the first to bottle Manzanilla en rama (unfiltered) back in 1999, doing four sacas (bottlings) per year, one during each season, which they sell in half bottles with labels that clearly identify the saca and year. Other than that, their range is pretty exhaustive, from entry level wines, through VORS and an exclusive Reliquia range from the oldest, family-owned botas, some of them containing wines averaging 80 to 100 years old. As a curiosity, they probably stock more Palo Cortado than any other winery (on earth),120 casks, as the famous Toto Barbadillo had an obsession with that category and purchased all he could get his hands on. I had a great visit there with winemaker Montse Molina who arrived in Sanlucar from her native Cataluna 15 years ago and she has not looked back since. Tasting wines from the bota, listening to a knowledgeable winemaker and realizing how different and how complex the wines are is one of the pleasures one should experience at least once in a lifetime.

Founded in 1820, and today housed in cellars that date from 1619, this small jewel of a company is still owned by the same family, its vineyard holdings built up over time through a series of marriages with other wine-producing families. Displaying a nutty, slightly toasty nose, with flavours of hazelnuts, and orange peel. The high acidity makes the wine taste dry on the palate, with a smooth, long, and memorable finish.

"Firm, fresh and complex, with an array of glazed apricot, ginger, maple and cream flavors. Features notes of truffle and mineral on the crisp finish. Drink now. 200 cases imported." Wine Spectator

There's something so luscious and decadent about this fruit-forward port, but with an underlying elegance and complexity that makes it stand out from the NV crowd. Ripe black and red plums, fresh Mission figs, and plump, juicy raisins dominate the palate here, with a velvety texture that won't quit. Grab the closest bar of good dark chocolate and have at it. -- PJ