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Lot 4
In Praise of Folly
6 – 1.5 Liter Clos Erasmus (1998-2003)
Today’s Spain is a lightning rod for creativity and innovation; a hotbed for
experimentation and passionate new wine operations. One of its hallmarks is the
discovery - really, a re-discovery - of abandoned viticultural treasures.
Through reinventing ancient vineyards and modernizing traditional practices,
world-class wines are now being produced from areas that were formerly thought
to be too difficult to farm.
One such incredible rebirth is nowhere more ably demonstrated than in the wines
of Clos Erasmus. Located in Priorat, 85 miles southwest (and considerably
uphill) from Barcelona, the hillsides of this region were long ignored as their
steepness made mechanical harvesting difficult, if not impossible. Daphne
Glorian, along with friends Rene Barbier and Alvaro Palacios, visited the area
in the early 1990s and dedicated themselves to reviving its historic vineyards.
Glorian named her venture “Clos Erasmus,” after the philosopher Erasmus
Rotterdam, known for his essay “In Praise of Folly.”
A powerhouse red made from a blend of Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah,
Clos Erasmus produces wines of intensity that marry the elegance and complexity
of Priorat with the extraordinary concentration that comes from low yields and
ripe fruit. Astounding wines, regrettably produced in minute quantities. In any
vintage, only a few hundred cases of Clos Erasmus are produced, and only 100 of
those bottles are Magnums. Here is an extraordinary collection of six of those
Magnums, a vertical spanning 1998 to 2003, bottles that have been cellared at
the winery until their release for this auction.
The vertical begins with the dazzling 1998. Powerful, unctuous and
super-extracted, it is an extravagant wine now hitting its plateau of maturity
but retains the ability to age for another two decades. The 2000 vintage is a
“blockbuster,” with its gorgeous nose of black fruits and tremendous richness.
The 2001 is multi-layered; a tour-de-force in winemaking now only hinting at its
ultimate potential. The vertical is capped with the ethereal 2003 Clos Erasmus.
Perhaps the wine of the vintage from Spain, it is an opulent mixture of black
cherry and kirsch given structure from its focused minerality. Folly has never
been so rewarding.
DONORS: Daphne Glorian &
Eric Solomon of Clos Erasmus
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