95 Points or Bigger?: 2016 Clos Erasmus Pre-arrival
Posted on: 12/7/18 7:58 PM
This may be the safest bet in wine right now. You really can’t go wrong here.
Clos I Terrasses has been leading the pack in Priorat since 1988 when Daphne Glorian threw caution to the wind and joined René Barbier and Alvaro Palacios in believing in the unforgiving, but brilliant terroir of Priorat. Decades later, Ms. Glorian, a committed Biodynamist and brilliant winemaker, crafts perhaps the defining wine of the appellation, the legendary Clos Erasmus.
The second label, Laurel, is not a “second wine” strictly speaking (though in some vintages, barrels not deemed worthy of Erasmus are declassified into Laurel). That’s not the point. Laurel remains one of the finest and most sought-after values of the appellation, offering loads of class, intensity and breed for relatively short money.
Oh, and points. Lots of points.
Year in and year out, Laurel perpetually receives 95 points or higher. 2016 will be no different. We know it’s set to receive huge acclaim from critics. Just look at what Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutierez is already saying: “I tasted some seven different components of the 2016 Laurel that also looked to be phenomenal!”
You don’t need to be a brain surgeon to know that phenomenal equals monster scores.
This also comes as no surprise. 2016 was a magical year across Europe and that same magic hit Priorat as well. Receiving only a little bit of rain, the wines hold captivating concentration and texture, while possessing more classically nuanced texture and structure than the gigantic 2015’s. In short, this will be a very, very special vintage and the scores are going to be absolutely huge. We are will receive a large allocation, but it is guaranteed that demand will far outstrip actual quantity. Order as much as you can of this treasure!
2016 Clos I Terrasses Laurel
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