2005 Laurel Clos Erasmus, Priorat

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: The Laurel cuvee is the result of extreme triage in the vineyards and cellar. It is produced 100% from the Clos Erasmus vineyards but from the more recent plantings and is the result of declassification of some of the barrels of Clos Erasmus. The wine is aged for 16 months in one year oak and bottled without fining or filtration. The blend is 65% Garnacha and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon with tiny yields of 14 hl/ha (about 1 ton an acre). Purple-colored it offers up a classic bouquet of smoke, cedar, mineral, black cherry, and black currant. Smooth-textured, rich, and deceptively easy-going, this full-flavored lengthy effort will evolve for 4-6 years but who will want to wait that long? - Jay S. Miller, Feb. 2008