It is always a
privilege and a pleasure to taste wine with Christopher Cannan, head and
founder of Europvin, a most prestigious agent for some of Europe’s finest
wines. Christopher, based in Bordeaux, is immensely knowledgeable and imparts
information in the most succinct and gentlemanly manner, every word worthy of
listening to, and carrying a wealth of meaning.
That the sherry house of Lustau is one of his core providers is no
surprise. Lustau has, over the last 30
years grown to become one of the best sources for classical sherry on a relatively
commercial, but still small scale, under the ‘Solera Reserva’ range, as well as
tiny quantities of ultra-individualistic ‘Almacenista’ sherries. The ‘fit’ is perfect, as was the venue for a
quick tapas and sherry matched event last Thursday 22 July. The Osteria del Toro restaurant and bar has
an inviting reputation as a most interesting Mediterranean themed eatery,
offering delicious, value, authentic food.
Sherry is a working feature there.
Following are my comments on the sherries, with a note on the small
plates served with each:
A pairing of
flor-style ‘biologically aged’ sherries began proceedings. Curiously served first was the Lustau ‘Puerto’ Fino (17.5/20), pale
straw yellow, this was a solid, powerful and full style with soft flor nose,
quite distinctive and expressive, and dense on palate, though less flor tang
than expected. Bone dry, the nutty
elements were well harmonized. This was
soft, the acidity and freshness a little lacking, this bottle possibly not the
freshest stock. Nevertheless very true
to type. The paprika salted almonds were deemed to be the classic match, but
with the softness of this bottling, the magic was not there. Next was the lighter Lustau ‘Papirusa’ Manzanilla (19.0+/20), straw yellow in colour,
with a piercing and intense bouquet of minerals, salt and flor tang, The palate was searingly dry, superbly
delicate, subtle and refined, with cutting acidity and a line of nuts, seaside
and herb nuances through to the long
finish. Fantastically clean and very,
very fresh. Served with the fried Crystal Bay prawn with saffron salt,
the seaside in the prawn flesh came to the fore and the saffron weaved an
exotic edge.
Next were a pair of
Amontillados, essentially aged flor styles where oxidative maturation is
finally allowed. The Lustau ‘Los Arcos’ Amontillado (18.0+/20)
was light mahogany in colour, with a tight and light, but concentrated brown nut
nose. Dry on palate, this was rich with
nut and dried fruit flavours, softly textured and showing reasonable
elegance. The feature was the very long
rancio finish. Unfortunately, the
strength of flavour here overwhelmed the poached
corn-fed chicken breast with foie de canard crema, this a gently rich and
restrained dish. The superior wine in
this flight, on this occasion anyway, was the Lustau ‘Escuadrilla’ Amontillado (19.0-/20), brilliant, light
mahogany in colour, this had a powerfully intense, penetrating nose, of nuts
with brown fruits and complex floral notes, touched by a little VA and alcohol
spirit. On palate, dry-as, with
startling acidity and freshness, allied to beautifully proportioned flavour
expression and depth, the rancio very refined and stylish indeed. The jamon
Ibericos with paella negra was a conundrum.
The salty ham flavours sufficiently noble to meet the sherry, but its
hardness of texture a distraction. The
rice softening the acidity of the sherry, but behind in flavour.
Then onto the ‘oxidatively
aged’ sherries. First in this category
was the Lustau ‘Don Nuno’ Oloroso
(18.5-/20), full mahogany in colour with depth.
Soft and dense on bouquet, this had nuts, raisins and brown fruits and warm
savoury elements showing, alongside rancio complexity and a touch of volatility. Dry on palate, this was full-flavoured,
showing a little too much cut from both alcohol spirit and brash acidity. Good depth and excellent length. This handled the tomato served with the braised wild rabbit cannelloni, and
became sweeter and richer with the dish.
My wine of the day was the Lustau
‘Amacenista – Pata de Gallina Jarana 1/38’ Oloroso (19.5-/20), dark and
deep mahogany colour with green hues, this possessed richness and complexity of
nuts and dried fruits on bouquet, some volatility adding lift and superb rancio
complexity. Dry on palate the elegance
and liveliness was incredible. Delicate dried fruits, nuts, raisin hints,
classic rancio, tightly bound with perfect acidity, the balance of componentry
and length of flavour put this into another class. The sheer depth of flavour, class, complexity
and cut made the simply presented Moroccan
spiced lamb fillet with dried fruit cous cous even plainer, though texturally,
it was more than compatible.
The final pair of
sherries were sweet. A branded cream style
sherry, the Lustau ‘East India’
(18.5/20) was deep mahogany colour with green hues. A little subdued on bouquet, this showed
toffee, raisin, fig, nuts and savoury brown fruit and meat nuances adding
complexity. Sweetly rich and lush on
palate, there was a solid core of Oloroso-based savoury, complexity as well as acid to the chutney-like
flavours. An interesting combination
with the Gorgonzola with bread wafers,
sweetness and salt in similar level with the cheese flavours moderated and
absorbed into the wine to form a complex amalgam. The cheese was an outstanding match with the ‘Almacenista’
Oloroso, both wine and cheese becoming richer and more lively, the flavours also
comparable in intensity. The Lustau ‘San Emilio’ Pedro Ximinez
(19.0-/20) was full, dark, deep black-hued mahogany in colour and the nose
exuded decadence with raisins, sultanas and figs as well as a coffee element. Very rich and sweet, the palate echoed the
nose, and was soft, unctuous and seamless, flowing through the palate to the
long finish. Seeming to overwhelm the tiramisu, the dessert came back with an
alcohol bite (no doubt from the sherry used in its making) to give cut to the
wine. The cream seemed to bridge the two
well.
It was a marvelous show
of sherry and a difficult logistical and timing exercise for the kitchen of
Osteria del Toro which approached the challenge head-on. It was nearly pulled off…if only the sherries
were served a little slower, and there were less than 20 people rather than
over 25!
- Raymond Chan