2015 Clos Erasmus

A blend of 75% Grenache and 25% Syrah that spent 20 months in 40% new oak, the 2015 Clos Erasmus has closed down slightly since bottling and offers a more backward yet still sensationally concentrated profile that’s just begging for another 4-5 years of bottle age. Powerful notes of kirsch, blueberries, blackcurrants, truffle, damp earth, and bouquet garni all emerge from the glass, and this powerhouse hits the palate with full-bodied richness, sweet tannins, a stacked mid-palate, and a great, great finish. It’s one of those wines that carries an incredible amount of richness and power yet still just glides over the palate with no sensation of heaviness or weight. Hide bottles for another 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades.

I had high expectations for the new wines from Daphne Glorian, of which the flagship is the 2015 Clos Erasmus. Since 2002 there's been no Cabernet in the blend, and the 2015 is a blend of 85% Garnacha and 15% Syrah. It's a wine that spends two winters in barrel. It's still super young, and the winter following the bottling (it was bottled in May 2017 at the same time as the Laurel) is when they tend to show closed. It's very tight and with high density, not too expressive at this point in time, but you have to guide yourself by the palate, which is astonishing and has great depth and detail while coming through as light and even ethereal (within its style, of course). According to Daphne Glorian, 2015 was very dry, but on July 19th everything changed and the year was saved by some 40 liters of rain. This is another legendary vintage of Clos Erasmus in the making. It should show much better with a little more time in bottle. 3,000 bottles produced.