Luis Seabra

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Country of Origin: Portugal
Location: Douro, Portugal
People: Luis Seabra, Owner & Winemaker

Items

Luis Seabra 2021 'Granito Cru' Alvarinho, Vinho Verde DOC Login WS 90 Please inquire
Luis Seabra 2021 'Xisto Cru' Branco, Douro DOC Login WS 91 Please inquire
Luis Seabra 2022 'Xisto Ilimitado' Branco, Douro DOC Login WA 90 In Stock
Luis Seabra 2021 'Mono C' Castelao, Douro DOC Login — Please inquire
Luis Seabra 2020 'Xisto Ilimitado' Tinto, Douro DOC Login WA 89 WS 90 In Stock

A star of the "new Portugal," Seabra is known for his intense and ageworthy still wines. His minimal-intervention approach yields wines that are terroir-driven testaments to ancient plots on the steep banks of the Douro River.

After a decade as the winemaker at Niepoort, where he was responsible for some of the best known and highly rated wines to come out of Douro and Porto, Luis Seabra decided that he no longer wanted to make wines following someone else’s tastes and specifications. Thus, he began his eponymous winery, and set about shattering preconceptions of what Douro wines represent.

Seabra is a particularly gifted winemaker, one who sees wine as a medium through which a piece of land can speak. The wines are stark expressions of the soil...and are extraordinary, especially the Cru Series. "Cru" translates as "raw" in Portuguese, and with these wines in particular, the transmission of terroir is unadulterated and singular.

Most of the vineyards are located between the southern part of the Douro Superior in eastern Douro near the Spanish border and the Cima Corgo at the heart of the Douro. The Cima Corgo is a subregion that experiences an extreme diurnal shift—in fact, it has some of the greatest day-night temperature swings in Portugal. The vines are very old, with some exceeding 100 years in age. The soil is primarily schist (xisto). Fermentation is spontaneous with native yeast.

Media Links
The New York Times: Where Port Reigns, Unfortified Wines Undergo a Stylistic Evolution
I'll Drink to That! Episode 458: Luis Seabra Opposes the Winemaking Orthodoxy
Punch: The 25 Essential Wines of 2018
Blend - The Online Wine Magazine: Raw: The Wines of Luis Seabra
SevenFifty Daily: Making a Case for Premium Vinho Verde

Social Media
Instagram: @lseabrawine

Reviews

  • Luis Seabra 2020 'Xisto Ilimitado' Tinto, Douro DOC
    The Wine Advocate
    Rating: 89 (7/29/2022)
    The 2020 Xisto Ilimitado is a blend of 30% Touriga Franca, 20% Tinta Amarela and 20% Tinta Roriz, with Rufete, Tinta Barroca and others filling out the blend, all aged for 14 months in used French oak. It comes in at 13.2% alcohol. The Mono C and the Xisto Cru reds will not be made this year, so that juice went here. This was only in bottle a week when seen, but it seemed to show plenty of potential for the price category. Tight and fresh, this finishes with some tannic pop and flavor, a nice combination, but right now it is mostly tight. This will likely seem better at the end of the year or in the middle of 2023. It should be a nice bargain.
  • Luis Seabra 2021 'Granito Cru' Alvarinho, Vinho Verde DOC
    The Wine Spectator
    Rating: 90 (11/15/2023)
    A rich white sculpted by well-honed acidity, with a fragrant range of ground cardamom, saffron, orange peel and clove notes wafting through flavors of baked quince, salted Marcona almond and dried white cherry.
  • Luis Seabra 2021 'Xisto Cru' Branco, Douro DOC
    The Wine Spectator
    Rating: 91 (11/15/2023)

    Sleek and harmonious, this graceful white has good drive and pretty accents of white blossoms and lemon thyme to the ripe nectarine and melon fruit. Reveals a salty, mineral underpinning that gains momentum and lingers on the fresh finish.

  • Luis Seabra 2020 'Xisto Ilimitado' Tinto, Douro DOC
    The Wine Spectator
    Rating: 90 (11/15/2023)
    A silky, medium- to full-bodied red, featuring fragrant wild herb and floral accents to the flavors of bitter cherry reduction and blackberry coulis, with a touch of coffee liqueur. Reveals chalky tannins that emerge to firm the finish.
  • Luis Seabra 2022 'Xisto Ilimitado' Branco, Douro DOC
    The Wine Advocate
    Rating: 90 (4/4/2024)
    The 2022 Xisto Ilimitado Branco was not approved by the Douro appellation, but it's from Douro grapes, from the zone of Meda in the south of Douro Superior, close to Beiras, from purchased grapes, mostly Rabigato. It has the Seabra signature of cleanliness, definition, balance, elegance and quality oak. It has 12.5% alcohol and a round palate. All of the whites go through 100% malolactic, and in this case, some 20% of the wine was unoaked. 2022 is a year with more fruit, rounder, with mellow acidity.