Clos I Terrasses del Priorat Clos Erasmus 2021

Clos Erasmus’s sources have remained consistent for many years, coming from three vineyard sites: Escales, Aubagues, and Socarrats. Escales was Daphne’s original vineyard, and while encompassing 1.7 hectares, this Garnatxa yields only 6-9 hl/ha. Its character is invariably delicate, perfumed, and lighter in color, providing a floral lift and precision to the final blend. Socarrats is a warmer site planted with 1.9 hectares of Garnatxa and 0.3 hectares of Syrah, of which only a portion of the oldest vine fruit is reserved for Clos Erasmus. It provides a darker fruit character to the final blend and much of the backbone of fine tannins. Aubagues, largely regraded and replanted on costers in 2013, has a few remaining terraces of 35-year-old Garnatxa reserved for Clos Erasmus. As one of Daphne’s warmest sites, it provides much of the richness and texture that has become a hallmark of Clos Erasmus. These selections are fermented separately by indigenous yeasts in oak vats. After a gentle maceration lasting a month, they are racked into twelve 228L French oak barrels – five new and seven second-fill. Each January, Daphne, Eric & Ester Nin taste each of the barrels and assemble the final blend, equaling only 3000-5000 bottles each vintage. The remaining wine is declassified and included in the Laurel.