Clos I Terrasses, Clos Erasmus, Priorat, Catalonia, 2015

You can’t describe Clos Erasmus in any other way than as a luxury wine, yet a close look at the aromatic and flavour detail of this blend of 70% Grenache with 30% Syrah, aged in both barrels and amphorae, shows just what a Priorat thoroughbred it is. The wine is grown in a variety of sites with both north and south facing aspects around the village of Gratallops. It’s deep but not opaque in colour, with complex yet somehow calm and settled aromas - ripe red and black fruits and brushed, fragrant thyme and mint, with a little perfumed sweetness. On the palate it is mouthfilling, intense, deep and amply ripe, with firm though finely-milled tannins, fresh red fruits, juicy acidity and savoury depths, too. Very complete and authoritative, yet also disarmingly lovely.