95

Stephen Tanzer

Vinous

(a blend based on 65% garnacha, the rest cabernet sauvignon and syrah) Bright ruby-red. Currant, crushed raspberry and bitter chocolate on the nose; showed some dried berry notes with aeration. Lush, smooth and deep, with a creamy middle palate showing almost confectionery sweetness. But sound acids give this extremely suave wine terrific shape and thrust. Finishes with noble tannins and terrific persistence. Very sophisticated winemaking and elevage here. As seamless and classy a vintage of Clos Erasmus as I've tasted to date.

98

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

A wine of great intensity, this 415-case blend of 78% Grenache, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Syrah aged in 100% new French oak casks, reveals an inky/purple color as well as a tight but promising bouquet of acacia flowers, raspberries, blackberries, and hints of blueberries, smoke, and the essence of minerality. With extraordinary richness, good underlying acidity, firm tannin, and a multilayered mouthfeel, this spectacularly concentrated 2001 is only hinting at its ultimate potential. Patience will be rewarded as this is a tour de force in winemaking, marrying the elegance and complexity of Priorat with the extraordinary concentration and intensity that comes from low yields and ripe fruit. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2020.