TN: 2014 Luis Seabra Vinhos Xisto Cru Branco Douro

[Andy Velebil]

70% Rabigato, remaining is a field blend of Codega (10%) , Gouveio (10%) and Viosinho Dozelino Branco (10%) from vineyards planted between 1920-1933. Tended in mica schist soil from 650-700 m (2,133-2,297 ft) elevation (per the tech sheet). Decanted just shy of an hour and tasted at a cool room temp. This wine is a sneaker in that when you take the first sip it almost seems a bit flat. A couple of seconds later it forced me to give it my full attention. Besides the searing acidity there is plenty of waxy citrus fruits, a hint of a sherry-like note, and a huge dose of minerality that make this like no other white Douro wine out there I've had. Unbelievable complexity and perhaps the longest finish on a white wine from the Douro I've had. I hate to use the comparison, but a good description is Douro meets Grand Cru Burgundy. Approaching 4 years old this is appears to have plenty of life ahead of it. Luis Seabra truly is one of the most talented winemakers in the Douro.
96 Points

[Rune EG]

WOW Andy, that was a very high score for a Douro white wine. Is that your highest ever for a Douro white?

Abt 1.5 months ago I had a bottle of this white wine of the same vintage. We were a group of people which tested various white wine to various types of seafood. So I did not make proper tasting notes of each wine (and subsequently no posting on the FTLOP Forum). However, I do remember that in my mind it was a white with score above 90 pts. After having read your score, I will try to find a bottle and taste it properly.

Thanks for the tasting note.

[Andy Velebil]

WOW Andy, that was a very high score for a Douro white wine. Is that your highest ever for a Douro white?

Abt 1.5 months ago I had a bottle of this white wine of the same vintage. We were a group of people which tested various white wine to various types of seafood. So I did not make proper tasting notes of each wine (and subsequently no posting on the FTLOP Forum). However, I do remember that in my mind it was a white with score above 90 pts. After having read your score, I will try to find a bottle and taste it properly.

Thanks for the tasting note.

I do believe it is the highest for a Douro white. This really got going after being open and closer to a cool room temperature. As I tasted it my score kept creeping higher and higher as the longer it sat open the more complex and lingering it became. I've had this before, in Porto and at some trade tastings, but those were not proper tastings. I do recall those tastings it being very nice but I didn't realize it was THAT good until I was finally able to spend a proper amount of time with it.