{"product_id":"luis-seabra-mono-c-tinto","title":"Luis Seabra Mono C Tinto 2019","description":"\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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e'Mono Castelão' is a genuinely unusual exploration — Castelão is one of southern Portugal's most widely planted red grapes, yet it's rarely seen in the Douro, despite being an authorised variety there. It naturally carries softer tannin than the Douro's native reds, giving a wine that feels more open and less tight than the local style — and under Seabra's hand, more restrained and less alcoholic than Castelão typically shows elsewhere.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eSourced from a single vineyard planted in 1993, on yellow schist at 450–475 metres in Baixa Corgo — a subregion known for some of the sharpest day-to-night temperature swings in Portugal, giving the fruit extended hangtime, with annual rainfall around 600mm. The grapes are whole-cluster fermented in stainless steel using only indigenous yeast, with a month of cold maceration, followed by 18 months' élevage on lees in used 500L barrels before bottling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eBright violet in colour, with snappy red and blue fruit aromas overlaid by a distinct schist minerality. The palate is bright and punchy — sour cherry, plum and tart blueberry, tightly wound with floral and mineral tones, balanced by mouthwatering acidity and soft, fine tannin. Best served with a slight chill.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe 2019 vintage, aged 18 months in used French 500L barrels at 13.5% alcohol, isn't a big, jammy expression of Castelão — the grape still takes on darker, more brooding overtones here, a reflection of the Douro terroir it comes from. It's well balanced yet powerful, with a gripping finish that can show a touch of astringency, and real freshness throughout, even if it holds back a little on the usual bright red fruit. A wine that should reward a couple more years in the cellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRating history:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2023: 94 (The Wine Advocate), 93 (Wine Advocate); 2022: 92+ (Wine Advocate); 2021: 93 (Wine Advocate), 93 (James Suckling); 2019: 92+ (Wine Advocate); 2017: 92 (Wine Spectator), 90 (Wine Advocate)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePairing suggestions:\u003c\/strong\u003e Charcuterie, grilled pork dishes, roasted poultry.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luis Seabra","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45641259712581,"sku":"LS19MC","price":84.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0727\/8644\/4357\/files\/luis-seabra-mono-c-web.png?v=1788328887","url":"https:\/\/artisanwine.com.au\/products\/luis-seabra-mono-c-tinto","provider":"Artisan Wines","version":"1.0","type":"link"}