Xisto Cru Douro 2022
£39.11 (Inc. VAT bot. 75 cl.) / North Ireland
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Xisto Cru Branco was produced with grapes from an old vineyard he works at 750 meters above sea level with 70% Rabigato and the rest Códega, Gouveio and Donzelinho Branco. The juice from the pressing of destemmed and crushed grapes fermented in used 228-liter barrels, where it matured for one year and then six months in stainless steel. It has a moderate 13.5% alcohol, which is remarkable for a very warm and dry year, keeping the poise and balance, reflected by a pH of 3.21. It is clean and precise, pretty much in the house style, with subtle aromas of pollen and aromatic herbs, faintly Mediterranean. It has a fine-boned and elegant palate with cleanliness, precision and great balance and a dry, stony and serious finish. This is a very serious white that should develop nicely in bottle. 6,70 bottles produced. It was bottled in March 2024.
Features
Type of wine
Style
Occasions
Winery
Size
Appellation
Alcohol
12.0%
Grapes
Serving
Between 10ºC and 12ºC
Winemaking
Alcoholic fermentation and ageing in French oak barrels.
Description
Xisto Cru Branco is a winemaking gem that has emerged from the heart of the Douro Valley. For nearly two decades, Luis Seabra has been a pioneer in Portugal's winemaking transformation, leading a movement of young winemakers who have made history by reclaiming historic vineyards, grape varieties and traditional techniques. Seabra is committed to the idea that the Douro Valley can produce still, elegant wines with a strong terroir character. His deep understanding of the soil, together with his philosophy of minimal intervention in both the vineyard and the winery, has catapulted him onto the international stage as a leader in the New Portugal.
Xisto Cru Branco Douro is a single vineyard wine, something rare in the Douro. Seabra describes it as a "magical place that no one can replicate". It is designed to be a clear expression of terroir and place. It is sustainably farmed and vinified using only spontaneous fermentation and indigenous yeasts. In this way, Seabra eliminates all potential variability, except soil type, as an expression of terroir. The wine is composed of 70% Rabigato, and the rest is a blend of Códega (10%), Gouveio (10%) and Viosinho Dozelino Branco (10%). These sustainable vineyards were planted between 1920 and 1933 on micaceous schist soils at an altitude of 650-700m.
Winemaking
The grapes are fermented spontaneously in small used barrels with indigenous yeasts. The wine spends a total of 12 months in used French oak barrels that are exclusively dedicated to the production of Xisto Cru Branco. No batonnage is carried out and the wine undergoes a complete malolactic fermentation before bottling without added stabilisers.
Taste
Xisto Cru Branco has a bright straw colour. On the nose, it offers highly toned and mineral aromas of tart peach, flowers, fresh fennel bulb and savoury. On the palate, more notes of peach, citrus zest and fennel can be perceived, with white pepper and floral tones rounding out the finish. Its alcohol content is 12.5%.
Shipping to North Ireland
50% discount on orders over £348.78Estimated transit time: 4-5 working days.
| Bottles | Price | Over £348.78 |
|---|---|---|
| 1-6 | £11.25 | £5.62 (-£5.62) |
| 7-12 | £15.26 | £7.63 (-£7.63) |
| 13-18 | £21.36 | £10.68 (-£10.68) |
| 19-24 | £29.21 | £14.60 (-£14.60) |
| 25-30 | £33.92 | £16.96 (-£16.96) |
| 31-36 | £37.93 | £18.96 (-£18.96) |
| 37-42 | £45.78 | £22.89 (-£22.89) |
| 43-48 | £50.14 | £25.07 (-£25.07) |
| 49-54 | £56.63 | £28.32 (-£28.32) |
| 55-60 | £60.86 | £30.43 (-£30.43) |
| VAT included | ||
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