Guinarderes vineyard
In July, 2021 we will be releasing the 2019 Clos Erasmus and Laurel from Clos i Terrasses. We spoke with Daphne for her assessment of the vintage and in typical fashion, she noted that it wasn’t the best, but certainly not the worst either. If you know Daphne, this is modesty on her part as every vintage at Clos i Terrasses is remarkable. We badgered her for more details and she provided the following:
2019 was a dramatic change from 2018, with little rain during the winter (less than 136 liters between January and September), resulting in a drought compounded by an unheard-of heatwave in June, with temperatures reaching 42 degrees (107 F.) for almost a week.
But trust the vines of the Priorat. Even though the extreme temperatures of June hit them hard, they are used to harsh conditions, and they adapted, returning to their normal thrifty mode.
The resulting volumes were, of course, almost 20% below those of 2018 but in line with the yields we often get, 18-19 hectolitres per hectare. Harvest began at the end of August with Syrah and finished only a day earlier than average on September 18th. As expected, the combination of low yields and high temperatures speeded up the ripening process.
The wines are a perfect example of Mediterranean varieties producing their best under challenging conditions. They are concentrated, solar, and yet velvety, with a strong will but happy demeanor.
A full profile of Clos i Terrasses, Daphne, and the 2019 vintage can be found here.