Clos Erasmus’s sources have remained consistent for many years now, coming from a selection of three vineyard sites: Escales, Aubagues, and Socarrats. Escales was Daphne’s original vineyard, and while encompassing 1.7 hectares, this Garnatxa yields only 6-9 hl/ha. Its character is always delicate, perfumed, and lighter in color provided a floral lift and precision to the final blend. Socarrats is a warmer site planted with 1.9 hectares of Garnatxa and 0.3 hectares of Syrah, of which only a portion of the oldest vine fruit is reserved for Clos Erasmus. It provides a darker fruit character to the final blend and much of the backbone of fine tannins. Aubagues, which was largely regraded and replanted on costers in 2013, has a few remaining terraces of 35-year-old Garnatxa reserved for Clos Erasmus. As one of Daphne’s warmest sites, it provides much of the richness and texture that has become a hallmark of Clos Erasmus. These selections are fermented separately by indigenous yeasts in oak vats. After a gentle maceration lasting a month, they are racked into twelve 228L French oak barrels – 5 new and 7 second-fill. Each January, Daphne, Eric & Ester Nin tasted each of the barrels and assemble the final blend equaling only 3000-3500 bottles each vintage. The remaining wine is declassified and included in the Laurel.
