95pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2022 Laurel has the grapes from the younger vines but still not the ones from Manyetes that will contribute to this wine in 2023 for the first time. This is quite aromatic, young tender and peachy, attractive. She finds this to be a classical vintage, balanced and ripe without excess, and the tannins are polished and elegant. In 2022, they used a little less Cabernet, so the wine is mostly Garnacha, with almost 20% Syrah and perhaps 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. It matured mostly in concrete, oak vats and some 30 barrels, but some 20% of the volume matured in amphorae. She's not crazy about amphorae; she finds that they close the wines. It's medium-bodied, has a fine texture and feels elegant and light with a lot of finesse. She doesn't want too long macerations with the grapes from the younger vines, but it has clout. It comes in at 15% alcohol, has very fine tannins and comes through as balanced and civilized, quite approachable already with mellow acidity.

About the Wine

While Clos Erasmus comes from the same parcels year after year, Laurel has been slowly evolving in the vineyard and cellar. 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. The final blend is roughly 75% Garnatxa, 20% Syrah, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Based largely on younger vines and years of toil to establish these sites and properly farm them following organic and biodynamic principles, it would be wholly inappropriate to view Laurel as a second wine.

If Daphne had not already established herself as one of the most talented vignerons in the Priorat with Clos Erasmus, she would be a leading contender with Laurel. Aged in large oak vats, concrete tanks, second and third fill French oak barrels, and clay amphorae, the complexity of the élevage is reflected in the wine, which always shows an ethereal and aromatic complexity, translucent ruby color, with red fruit more than black fruit character buttressed with subtle tannins.

Blend: 75% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon

Organic

Biodynamic