Luis Seabra 2023 Vinhos 'Xisto Ilimitado' Branco, Duoro

The Wine

This is a delicious white wine from Portugal's Duoro region (called the Duero across the border in Spain, the region undergoes a name change at the border). As is common in Portugal, this wine is a field blend of old‑vine native varieties little known to most US wine lovers (typically Rabigato, Gouveio, Viosinho, Códega, and others). 

"Xisto" is the Portuguese word for "Schist", a reference to the vineyard soils. As if the field blend of unique grapes was not enough, these soils lend a weight and gravitas to this compelling white wine.

Luis Seabra, follows the 'light hand' approach to winemaking, using native yeast fermentations, gentle pressing, extended contact with the fine lees and neutral barrels/stainless steel for his elevage prior to bottling. 

Aromas and flavors of citrus peel, green plum, white flower blossoms, and crushed/wet stone. The palate follows through and expands on the aromatic preview, providing salinity, subtle texture from the lees aging, hints of green apples, citrus and dried herbs that lead into a long, ever-lasting finish dominated by wet slate and ocean.

Pairings: Grilled seafood - this is a wine you can pair with powerful flavors like sardines and mackerel - fresh goat cheese, seared scallops with butter and herbs, and chicken roasted with lemon and herbs. 

The Winery

Before launching his own project, Luis Seabra was the former winemaker for Drew Niepoort - one of Portugal's best-known producers on a global scale. He founded this label to pursue a new winemaking path - low‑intervention, terroir‑driven wines from old vines across the Douro and Vinho Verde regions. His whites have become benchmarks of today's modern style - mineral-driven, textural, site‑expressive.