TASTING NOTE: "The 2020 Laurel feels very elegant, balanced and fresh, a little lighter perhaps, with perfectly ripe tannins, a little in line with 2016 or 2013. It might be a little unusual for the house style or perhaps a slight change, as they are gradually going for softer vinifications; you don’t really need to extract in Priorat, because the wines are powerful enough on their own. It’s still extremely young and has a lactic touch (that blows off with a bit of time in the glass); it was only bottled at the end of May 2022, three months before I tasted it. Even if it’s the second wine here, it’s a wine that needs a little bit of time and improves in the bottle. Having said that, the 2020s feel more open, expressive and approachable than the 2019s, which are more tannic and powerful while the 2020s feel a little more Burgundian if you like. This has to be one of the finest vintages of Laurel so far. After some time in the glass, the aromatics of the Syrah (which was perhaps a little more this year, some 12% versus 8% in 2019) made an appearance—violets, smoked bacon. Daphne Glorian told me that everything was easy, that the wine was expressive and open from day one and that the fermentations were smooth.”
96 Points - The Wine Advocate
ABOUT THE WINE: Laurel is sourced from younger vines of Garnatxa planted on costers in Aubagues, Garnatxa, Syrah, and Cabernet from the warm terroir of Socarrats, and Garnatxa and Syrah from Guinarderes. A blend of mostly Garnacha (73%), with supporting Syrah (12%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (15%). Destemmed, hand sorted, and slightly crushed, the grapes are separately fermented in wooden and concrete vats for four weeks. After blending the wine is matured in a diversity of vessels including upright barrels, amphorae, concrete eggs and used barriques.
ABOUT THE PRODUCER: Born in Paris but of Swiss-German ancestry, Daphne Glorian spent her early years shuttling between Switzerland and France before settling in Gratallops. “I like to make lists of what needs to be done each day, and in Spain, I’m happy if I manage a quarter of it,” is how Daphne explains her life now in Spain. While studying law in Paris in her 20s, Daphne first discovered fine wine while working as the office manager for Kit Stevens MW. What was simply a job to make ends meet would soon become her advocation. Shortly after taking the job with Kit, she met René Barbier and Álvaro Palacios, who were both so passionate about a place called the Priorat that she decided she needed to visit and see it for herself. In her early vintages, Daphne relied on her friends René Barbier and Álvaro Palacios for advice, but guided by her instincts and her training in Burgundy, where she first discovered wine, her wines have evolved to become some of the most sought-after references for the Priorat – and along the way, some of the most desired wines in the world. Despite having received multiple 100 point scores from top critics, Daphne has kept Clos i Terrasses modest in size and has not dramatically increased her production of Clos Erasmus, preferring to create a second, equally expressive wine, Laurel.
COUNTRY: Spain
REGION: Catalonia
SUB-REGION: Priorat
VARIETAL: Grenache 73%, Syrah 12%, Cabernet Sauvignon 15%
WINE STYLE: Red Wine
WINEMAKER: Daphne Glorian
CLASSIFICATION: Organic Farming
CLOSURE: Cork
ABV%: 15%
SIZE: 750ml

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