Clos Erasmus Laurel 2021
The alcohol was high, yet it did not feel unpleasant. It was very aromatic, and the body was not heavy.
Region: Catalunya · Type: Red · Vintage: 2021 · Producer: Clos Erasmus · Grape: Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon
Tasted 2025-02-17
In the glass
This was very aromatic. The body was not heavy either, and for all the alcohol it never felt unpleasant. It is, after all, a producer that makes wine well.
Producer
Clos i Terrasses is Daphne Glorian's estate in Gratallops, and the name Clos Erasmus comes from the Renaissance humanist Desiderius Erasmus, a favourite writer of Daphne Glorian and her humanist father; alluding to his In Praise of Folly, she called her leap into Priorat a foolish venture. The first ten vintages were made in René Barbier's Clos Mogador cellar, until Daphne Glorian bought an old cellar from Álvaro Palacios. Rather than greatly increase production of Clos Erasmus, she chose to make a second, equally expressive wine, Laurel.
Site
The wine comes from Priorat, in Catalunya, Spain. Laurel is sourced from younger vines: Garnacha planted on costers in Aubagues, Garnacha, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon from the warm terroir of Socarrats, Garnacha and Syrah from Guinarderes, and Garnacha from Les Vaques. The estate's farming is certified organic.
Vinification
The grapes are hand harvested and fermented with natural yeast in a combination of oak, concrete eggs and clay amphorae. The wine is then aged for 16 to 18 months in 20hl French oak tanks, concrete tanks, neutral 228L French oak barrels and clay amphorae.