2012 Laurel

(75% garnacha, 20% syrah and 5% cabernet sauvignon; aged in a combination of wooden upright vats and two- to four-year-old French oak barrels): Opaque ruby. Powerful smoke- and mineral-accented black and blue fruit aromas show very good clarity and pick up suave floral and spicecake elements with air. Fleshy and broad in the mouth, offering ripe blackcurrant and mulberry flavors sharpened by a peppery flourish. The floral note comes back strong on the finish, which clings with excellent tenacity and youthfully chewy tannins. In a broader-shouldered style than its Clos Erasmus sibling; this one should age well but offers plenty of immediate appeal as well. In the context of high-end Priorats there's remarkable value here.

Grenache, Syrah and Carignan. To be bottled in April 2014. Paler than the 2011. Wonderfully mellow nose. Lots of vitality and charm. Fresh acidity and super-ripe tannins on the finish after great charming, opulent fruit – like Châteauneuf on different terrain? (JR)

The 2012 Laurel is a blend of 70% Garnacha, 20% Syrah and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine had a different élevage as it matured in a combination of used barriques, 20-hectoliter oak vats, cement vats and 700-liter amphorae. This is a very savory vintage of Laurel with pungent, almost saline flavors. The wet slate and black fruit that I link to Gratallops are present but the wine is much fresher than anticipated for a warm and especially dry vintage in a hot village like Gratallops. There is a balsamic twist in the background, but the place comes through stronger than grapes or process. I also tasted the 2013 a couple of weeks before bottling and it showed even better than the already great 2012. 9,000 bottles produced.||There is quite a shift in the style of the Clos i Terrases wines from 2010 to 2012. In the very ripe and warm 2011 they did not produce their top wine, Clos Erasmus, and took the opportunity to make some adjustments in the wines, even introducing some amphorae for the élevage. This shows in the 2012s, which have more freshness, drinkability and elegance while keeping the Priorat character. 2012 produced only 50% of the average volumes, so the wines will be scarcer than ever. eRobertParker.com.June, 2015