90 pts Wine Advocate
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. It’s a low-yielding year, with some 45,000 bottles; in 2023, he will bottle close to 80,000 bottles.

Luis Seabra produces wines in Douro, Do and Vinho Verde in Portugal and has a small collaboration with Saias in Ribeira Sacra where he works as a consultant. He also consults with a number of properties in Portugal, Muxagat, Textura and Quinta de Costa de Pinho, plus a new project in Douro. He now produces 180,000 bottles under his own name. The profile is elegant, clean and modern, with moderate ripeness and integrated oak, subtle wines in need of time in a decanter, the glass or in bottle.

The Branco is a white blend based on the Rabigato grape and it has the lemon-mineral punch of great Burgundy, plus a ripe pear fruitiness, white poppy, and remarkable density. This is sleek, contemporary white winemaking of the highest order. This has got to be the closest expression to Chablis outside of Burgundy. The Xisto Ilimitado is a wine that offers a look at the dominant soil type in the Douro Valley through the lens of a wine glass. This is a terroir driven, fresh, mineral-laden white that showcases the beautiful schist soils of the Douro.

• Sustainbly grown vines planted in 1989 in granite soil at 50-150 m (164-492 ft) elevation.
• The pressing of destemmed and crushed grapes was done with no added sulfur and without maceration.
• 90% fermented in used barrel; 10% fermented in stainless steel. All indigenous wild yeast fermentation. Aged in 90% used barrel and 10% stainless steel. 1 year of lees contact with no battonage.

For nearly two decades, Luis Seabra has been at the center of a cultural shift in Portuguese winemaking, leading a movement of young, independent winemakers making history by reclaiming historical vineyards, grape varieties, and techniques. Seabra is dedicated to proving that fresh, elegant, terroir-driven still wines can be made in the Douro Valley. His fundamental understanding of soil coupled with his philosophy of minimal intervention in the vineyard and winery have launched him into the international eye as a leader of the New Portugal; according to Eric Asimov, he is now making some of Portugals most compelling wines, both white and red. Luis Seabra works with old vineyards because he believes that mature vines are more resilient and well-equipped to handle the regions intense weather; this makes them the best candidates to faithfully communicate special terroirs. When he started his solo project in 2013, he created the Cru series of wines, which revolve not around grape varieties, but vineyard sites. In Seabras own words: we did this to show how we can put the place in the bottle. Xisto Ilimitado is a Portuguese analogue to the idea of a village level Burgundy. A field blend of 4 varieties planted across 3 subzones in the Douro, Ilimitado is a survey of the schist-driven terroir in the appellation. Bright, focused and fresh, Xisto Ilimitado is a great introduction to the new Douro.” -Importer notes.