{"product_id":"luis-seabra-granito-cru-alvarinho-2022","title":"Luis Seabra Granito Cru Alvarinho 2022","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"page\" title=\"Page 1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"layoutArea\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"column\"\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eAfter a decade as winemaker at Niepoort, where he was behind some of the best-known and most highly rated wines to come out of the famed Douro and Port producer, Luís Seabra decided he no longer wanted to make wine to someone else's brief. So he started his own eponymous winery, setting about upending expectations of what Douro wine can be. He's a genuinely gifted winemaker — one who treats wine as a medium for land to speak through, rather than a vehicle for a house style.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe Granito Cru Alvarinho is part of the same intensely terroir-driven series through which Seabra strips wine back to its rawest expression of place. \"Cru\" means \"raw\" in Portuguese, and here the transmission of terroir is unadulterated and singular — every variable removed except the land itself, worked exclusively with spontaneous fermentation, native yeasts, and large-format, tight-grained oak. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProduced from vines over 25 years old (planted 1989), sited between 50–150 metres altitude on granitic soil in Melgaço — genuinely capturing the region's granite character. No commercial yeasts or bacteria are used, sulfur is kept minimal, and the wine ferments and ages in Slovenian oak barrels. 12.5% alc. For 2022, destemmed and crushed grapes were pressed with no added sulfur and no maceration, then cold-decanted for 48 hours. Fermentation and ageing both took place in oak vessels made from Eastern European forest oak — two used 1000L oval vats and one new 2000L oval — over a 4-month fermentation that ran through full malolactic. The wine then spent 9 months ageing on lees, left unstirred throughout.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGolden in colour, with mineral-driven aromas of stone fruit and touches of exotic fruit and pear, alongside orange blossom, honey and white pepper spice. On the palate it's fresh and balanced, with real volume and depth — the oak sits almost imperceptibly in the background, finishing long and full.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e96 points — James Suckling\u003c\/strong\u003e: \"This shows aromas of citrus, poached orchard fruit and stones. The palate is intense and concentrated, with great energy and fruit, yet linear and focused. Medium- to full-bodied. Long and persistent... No sulfur added until after malolactic. Really love the oxidative character of this Alvarinho.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Artisan Wines","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44966804521029,"sku":"LS22GCAC6","price":85.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0727\/8644\/4357\/files\/d9cf012a-granito_cru_alvarinho_web.jpg?v=1777951263","url":"https:\/\/artisanwine.com.au\/products\/luis-seabra-granito-cru-alvarinho-2022","provider":"Artisan Wines","version":"1.0","type":"link"}