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Wine Review

Lustau Sherry At The Ambelii 2008

By Raymond Chan
Our second outing with Sherry wine matched to the cuisine as designed and served at The Ambeli proved to be a knock-out. The event is destined to become an annual fixture, and may incorporate a remembrance of Grant Jones, Regional Wines’ founder, who was a tireless promoter of Sherry.

This event continued the success of the inaugural tapas matching exercise with the Lustau sherries the previous year. For 2008, Lustau’s representative Sue Davies worked in with Ambeli chef Sam Pope and owner Shae Moleta to refine the delivery and step up the flavour matching. The Ambeli has quickly risen to become one of the star eateries in Wellington, its point of difference being the adventurous flavours of the Mediterranean presented as fine fare. This exercise paired a pair of Lustau wines with each food course, one of the wines being from the more commercial ‘Solera Reserva’ range, the other of the pair being a limited release ‘Almacenista’ bottling.

So good was the event that I had little time to make full notes on the wines and matches. So following are my brief impressions, which hopefully will provide some insight to the evenings proceedings.

Arrival


Attendees were greeted with a glass of Torres ‘Vina Esmeralda’ 2007 (17.0+/20), a dry and aromatic Muscat and Gewurztraminer blend. While not as fruit forward as what we see in New Zealand, its varietal typicity was a delight.

Marinated White Anchovies; Hot Smoked Salmon; Almonds and Olives


The Lustau ‘Papirusa’ Manzanilla (18.0+/20) was classically crisp and tangy, with a delicacy, cutting through the oily nature of the olives and textures of the white anchovies with panache and style. The saltiness of the wine and anchovies came together and this wine was one of the best matches of the evening. The Lustau ‘Almacenista’ Manzanilla-Amontillado ‘Jurado 1/21’ (19.0) was a superb sherry with intensity and complexity of salt tang and delicate nuttiness. While just a little too powerful for much of the food, its depth worked well with the spices and smoked salmon.

Grilled Prawns; Chorizo; Saffron Risotto Balls & Capsicum Dressing


Going into the aged flor style, the Lustau ‘Los Arcos’ Amontillado (18.0+/20) retained its crispness and clarity while showing deeper nuttiness. A little more refinement would have lifted the wine. It’s freshness was a very good match with the prawns, the cut working with the flesh, and the greater depth of the Amontillado style over that of Manzanilla coming up to the grill char. In a far more complex style, the Lustau ‘Almacenista’ Amontillado ‘Obregon 1/10’ (19.0+/20) was indeed a wine of greater concentration and flavour profile, salty and dense and with power. It absorbed the textures of the risotto and powered through with its flavour, finally harmonizing with the rice. Interestingly, the saffron nuances came through. This was a fascinating pairing that was successful. The wine had the personality to match the spice of the chorizo as well. A most versatile wine.

Tortilla; Jamon & Mojo Verde


Only one sherry was served with this course. The enigmatic style as interpreted by the Lustau ‘Peninsula’ Palo Cortado (17.5/20). With elements of Amontillado and Oloroso captured in the wine, this was a gentle and mellow rendition, with some richness and some grip. If there was any criticism, the wine was a little flat. Interestingly, the tortilla also seemed somewhat plain on its own; eggs and potatoes often difficult to match. but the combination of sherry and food brought both to life and subtleties of interaction emerged, the salsa herb in particular adding great interest. This was a most rewarding paring.

Braised Marinated Pork Belly; Butterbeans and Paprika, Rocket and Hazelnut Picada, and Crusty Bread


Oloroso sherries vary considerably in style, sweetness being one major difference. The two Lustau wines served were both dry. The Lustau ‘Don Nuno’ Oloroso (18.0/20) was indeed an archetype version, quite elegant, but with good richness, possessing nuttiness, cut, but also raisiny notes. Interestingly, while the sherry did not clash with the dish, there was no appreciable lift to wine or food. However, this was not the case with the Lustau ‘Amacenista’ Oloroso ‘Jarana 1/38’ (19.5/20), itself a magnificent wine, rich, lush with character, full and textured, yet superbly balanced with clean spirit cut and a little volatile lift and complexity. The wine became more lively and fresh; the pork belly melted with the sherry and the whole taste lifted. Depth of flavour was enhanced and the combination was certainly greater than the parts. This was probably the best pairing of the evening.

Fig; Dark Chocolate and Almond Sweetmeat with Honeyed Cream


Here, the two renowned dessert sherries from Lustau were served, both being’Solera Reserva’ level. The Ambeli chose the fig portion of the dessert to match the Lustau ‘Emilin’ Moscatel (18.5+/20) in particular. The wine was fresh and had good cut, working well with the textural qualities of the fig. Flavour profiles were similar, the wine somewhat sweeter, as it should be. Good pairing. The Lustau ‘San Emilio’ Pedre Ximinez (18.5-/20) was heady, heavy, decadent and thick. Able to be poured over ice cream, the dark chocolate was the focus for this wine. The concentration and density of the chocolate was a difficult aspect for the wine to come to match, so the jury was out on how this worked. At this stage of the evening, the two sherries merged together as did the dessert components! It was time to go home…..
The Products...
LUSTAU DRY OLOROSO DON NUNO 375ML
Lustau Dry Oloroso Don Nuno 375Ml
Lustau ‘Don Nuno’ Oloroso (18.5-/20), full mahogany in colour with de...
$32.40 375 MLS
More...
LUSTAU MOSCATEL EMILIN 375ML
Lustau Moscatel Emilin 375Ml
Fig; Dark Chocolate and Almond Sweetmeat with Honeyed Cream The ...
$35.25 375 MLS
More...
LUSTAU MANZANILLA PAPIRUSA 375
Lustau Manzanilla Papirusa 375
Lustau ‘Papirusa’ Manzanilla (19.0+/20), straw yellow in colour, with ...
$22.50 375 MLS
More...
LUSTAU AMONT LOS ARCOS 375ML
Lustau Amont Los Arcos 375Ml
Lustau ‘Los Arcos’ Amontillado (18.0+/20) was light mahogany in colour...
$22.50 375 MLS
More...

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