Why it matters
The producer
Clos i Terrasses began with a financial commitment to a physical place. In 1988, Daphne Glorian bought 17 terraces in a wooded hollow outside Gratallops, then joined René Barbier, Álvaro Palacios, Carles Pastrana and Josep Lluís Pérez in the group that helped put modern Priorat on the map. In 1989, their pooled vineyards and resources produced one wine under five labels, including Clos Erasmus.
Today, Clos Erasmus and Laurel show two uses of the same estate resources. Clos Erasmus receives selected fruit from Escales, Aubagues and Socarrats. The remaining fruit from those sites goes into Laurel, which also draws on Guinarderes and Les Vaques. The first is made in roughly 3,200 bottles a year; the second in about 20,000.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Gratallops gives the wines their village setting, while the estate's 25.6 hectares rise from 375 to 450 metres. That elevation range places the vineyards across different exposures and levels of heat, which helps explain why the estate works with several parcels and keeps varieties separate during fermentation.
The address is C/ de la Font, 1, in Gratallops. The supplied record does not name a more specific formal appellation, so the useful label language here is Priorat, Gratallops, Clos i Terrasses, and the named vineyard parcels. Laurel gathers fruit from a wider group of sites; Clos Erasmus narrows the selection.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The estate is certified organic and has farmed biodynamically since 2004. Grapes are hand-harvested, then each variety ferments separately with indigenous yeasts. This keeps Garnatxa, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon distinct before the final blend, so the cellar can preserve their different fruit weight, colour and tannin.
Fermentation takes place in oak tanks, concrete and amphorae. The vessels give the wines several textures to work with: oak tanks provide a controlled environment without requiring a new-oak flavour, while concrete and amphorae leave the fruit and skin-derived grip more exposed. A 35-day maceration with occasional pigeage draws colour and tannin from the grapes and gives the finished reds a firm, lasting palate.
Wines to know
The range in view
Clos Erasmus is the selected red of the range. Daphne Glorian chooses fruit from Escales, Aubagues and Socarrats, and the remaining fruit from those sites goes into Laurel. Its small annual production, about 3,200 bottles, reflects the selection made before blending. The wine's place in the range comes from parcel choice and fruit selection, not from a separate appellation named in the supplied record.
Laurel is the larger red, made in about 20,000 bottles a year. Its general blend is roughly 75% Garnatxa, 20% Syrah and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Younger Garnatxa comes from Aubagues; Socarrats contributes Garnatxa, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon; Guinarderes contributes Garnatxa and Syrah; Les Vaques contributes Garnatxa. That wider sourcing gives Laurel a broader fruit profile, with ripe Garnatxa at the centre, darker Syrah tones and a firmer Cabernet edge.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Laurel is the right first bottle because it gathers the estate's range, vineyard and cellar choices into one red. It is roughly 75% Garnatxa, 20% Syrah and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, with fruit from Aubagues, Socarrats, Guinarderes and Les Vaques. The wider parcel mix gives ripe Garnatxa fruit room to lead, while Syrah brings darker tones and Cabernet adds a firmer edge. Separate indigenous-yeast ferments, oak tanks, concrete, amphorae and 35 days of maceration give the wine colour, skin grip and a textured finish. Laurel shows how Clos i Terrasses turns several Priorat parcels into one coherent bottle.