Lustau East India Soler Res

Lustau East India Soler Res is a fortified wine named for the East India solera style of sweet, amber sherry. These wines are traditionally built from a blend of oloroso and sweetened with Pedro Ximénez, then aged in a solera system of fractionally blended barrels. Expect a deep mahogany color and an aroma of roasted walnut, dried fig, raisin, orange peel and toffee. The palate in this style is usually full and viscous, with sweetness balanced by a vein of acidity and a nutty, slightly saline backbone. Tannin is negligible because the character comes from oxidative barrel aging rather than grape skins. Oak shows up as toasted nut, caramel and a faint dry spice rather than as vanilla or wood grain. The finish tends to run long and warming, with burnt sugar and coffee-bean notes lingering after the sweetness fades. Fortified wines like this commonly sit somewhere around 17 to 20 percent alcohol, so check the label for the exact figure. At the table, this bottle suits desserts and cheese better than most. The sweetness and nuttiness match blue cheeses such as Stilton or Roquefort, where salt and richness set off the dried-fruit sweetness. Aged hard cheeses and toasted almonds also work. Among sweets, sticky toffee pudding, fruitcake, pecan pie, dark chocolate and crème brûlée all stand up to its weight. A small pour over vanilla ice cream is a simple and well-known use. Rich savory dishes such as seared foie gras or a mushroom pâté can take it too, with the sweetness acting like a fruit chutney would. Serve it lightly cooled, around 12 to 14°C, which keeps the sugar from tasting heavy while leaving the aromas open. Straight from a cold refrigerator the nutty notes can go quiet, so give it a few minutes in the glass. Decanting isn't needed. Wines of this type are filtered and stable, though an older bottle that has thrown sediment is worth pouring carefully. A small tulip-shaped sherry copita or a compact white wine glass concentrates the aromatics better than a wide tumbler, and a pour of about 60 to 90 ml suits a wine this concentrated. This is a drink-now bottle rather than one to cellar. Oxidative aging has already taken place in the barrel, so extra years in the bottle won't build much. Store it upright in a cool, dark place before opening. Once opened, a recorked bottle kept in the refrigerator generally holds its character for several weeks, which makes it practical for sipping a little at a time.