Luis Seabra Xisto Cru Douro Tinto 2019
$120.00 inc. GST
AROMA: Fresh and dried florals, savoury herbs, plums, blackberries.
PALATE: Juicy cherry, plum, red fruit, and sour cherry. High toned and lively with firm, tight, and fine tannins, wet stone, and a long, savory finish
FOOD MATCH: BBQ or roasted meats, hearty stews: A rich, slow-cooked stew is an excellent partner for this full-bodied Portuguese red. Aged Cheeses
Grape variety: Field blend, containing Rufete, Touriga Franca, Malvasia Preta, Alicante Bouschet and Donzelinho Tinto.
Drinking window: 2021-2040
Alc. 13, 00%
17 in stock
Description
After a decade as winemaker at Niepoort, where he was responsible for some of the best known and highest rated wines to come out of the famed Douro and Porto producer, Luis Seabra decided that he no longer wanted to make wines to someone else’s tastes and specifications. Thus, he began his eponymous winery, and set about shattering preconceptions of what Douro wines represent. The Xisto Cru Branco is one of a series of wines that Luis makes that exemplify and express the intensely terroir-driven style in which he operates. He is a particularly gifted winemaker, one who sees wine as a medium through which a piece of land can speak. “Cru” translates as “raw” in Portuguese, and the transmission of terroir here is unadulterated and singular. This series of wines is one in which he removes every variable but that of the land itself, and the stark expression of the soil that results is extraordinary. He works exclusively with spontaneous fermentation, native yeasts, and large format tight-grained oak for all the wines in this series.
The Xisto Cru Tinto is one of a series of wines that Luis makes that exemplify and express the intensely terroir-driven style in which he operates. He is a particularly gifted winemaker, one who sees wine as a medium through which a piece of land can speak. “Cru” translates as “raw” in Portuguese, and the transmission of terroir here is unadulterated and singular. This series of wines is one in which he removes every variable but that of the land itself, and the stark expression of the soil that results is extraordinary. He works exclusively with spontaneous fermentation, native yeasts, and large format tight-grained oak for all the wines in this series.
Field blend, containing sustainably farmed vineyards planted from 1910-1933. Tended in mica schist soil from 650-700 m (2,133-2,297 ft) elevation. Vineyards located in Cima Corgo. This is a subregion that experiences extreme highs and lows from a temperature standpoint, with some of the greatest day-night temperature delta in Portugal. As such the fruit experiences extended hangtime. Vines planted exclusively in mica schist soil at 400-570 m elevation.
Additional Information
| brand | |
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| size | |
| vintage | 2019 |
Reviews/Ratings/Awards
RobertParker.com
Luis Seabra Xisto Cru Douro Tinto 2019 – 96+ / 100 Points
The 2019 Tinto “Xisto Cru” is a field blend from centenary vines (35%), plus roughly 20% Rufete, 15% Touriga Franca, 10% Alicante Bouschet, 10% Tinta Carvalha and various others making up the rest. It was aged for 22 months in used French barriques and comes in at 13.3% alcohol. This bottling from Seabra is coming in with surprisingly low alcohol levels. Even in the big 2017 vintage, it was less than 12.7%. He does a lot with a little. I was thrilled with the Indie Xisto, all on blue slate soil at 450 meters. This Xisto Cru has one of its vineyards on yellow schist and more nearby clay, thus leading to fruitier wines in general, said Seabra.
I was sure that the Indie was the best of the group. There was one more wine to taste, though. This Xisto Cru has the winery’s familiar style—mid-palate finesse, tightly wound with a powerful finish, perfect balance and controlled fruit. They mostly need a couple of extra years in the cellar and will age well. This has plenty of power, but Seabra’s reds are never just about mindless power. They taste great, too; you just have to let them evolve a bit. This looks like it will have a long life. There is no rush.
– Mark Squires
Winefront
Luis Seabra Xisto Cru Douro Tinto 2019 – 95 / 100 Points
“Sourced from two c. 80 year old Cima Corgo vineyards in Covas and Ervedosa do Douro, located between 400-570m. Grape varieties are Rufete, Touriga Franca, Tinta Carvalha, Alicante Bouchet, Donzelinho Tinto, Malvazia Preta and others. Earthy, spicy, floral, dark cherry and plum. Medium-bodied, but dense and firm in the mouth with packed emery tannin, cool acidity, blue fruits and perfume in the long finish. A very ‘mineral’ expression combining quiet fruit power with a sense of delicacy. It’s something.”
– Gary Walsh
