2019 Luis Seabra Xisto Cru Tinto

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.