Luis Seabra Xisto Cru Douro Tinto 2021
A sensational Douro red blend, offering all the character but none of the heaviness associated with the region. There is a core of dense blueberry and plum fruit, lifted by notes of violet and crushed rocks, as well as an incredibly long finish. The very moderate alcohol tips the overall balance towards freshness - a really energetic expression of old-vine Douro.
The grapes come from vines between eighty and a hundred years old planted on schist soils. Densely planted at 3,500 per hectare, they produce low yields of around 20 hectolitres per hectare.
The grapes were fermented in an old port vat of 3,500 litres, with sixty percent stems, over twenty-nine days. The wine was then aged in old Burgundy barrels. Minimal sulphur addition was made at bottling.
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Alcoholic strength | 12% |
| Country | Portugal |
| Region | Douro |
| Grapes | Rufete 20%, Touriga Franca 15%, Alicante Bouschet 10%, Other varieties 55% |
| Residual sugar (g/l) | 0.9 |
| Contains sulphites | Yes |
| Vegetarian | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Milk | No |
| Eggs | No |
| Closure | Cork |
Luis Seabra may be a new name on the Portuguese wine scene, but he has already had a hand in crafting some of the Douro’s most exciting wines, working as Dirk Niepoort’s right-hand man from 2004 until leaving to set up his own label in 2012. He started small, releasing two whites and one red, with a total production of just 5,000 bottles per wine. The range has since grown but quantities remain small-scale. Winemaking is minimal-intervention, and the style very much reflects the concentration of care lavished by this experienced winemaker on his tiny output.
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