Luis Seabra Xisto Ilimitado Branco

Luis Seabra made his name as winemaker for Niepoort, before leaving to set up his own project in 2013. Seabra’s idea was to make uncompromising wines: the sort he wanted to make, without thinking about what the market wants. He wanted to create authentic expressions of these regions. He sources grapes from top vineyards in the Douro and Vinho Verde. Winemaking is low intervention, with natural yeast ferments. All his reds are now 100% whole bunch, and he aims for low extraction, though leaves the wine on the skins for as long as 30 days, extracting very gently. These are wines of balance and finesse, and are worth seeking out. You can see the Niepoort influence here.

A vibrant blend of native Portuguese grape varieties - Rabigato, Gouveio and Codega do Larinho. The wine offers the closest expression to Chablis outside of Burgundy: bright acidity, ultra-expressive minerality, with notes of ripe citrus, green apple, slate minerals. Seabra’s wines can be aged for another decade, but can be enjoyed today with oysters, scallops, and rock shrimp tempura.

Tasting note:
Bright acidity, ultra-expressive minerality, with notes of ripe citrus, green apple, slate minerals.