2020 Clos Mogador

Actually, we don't have to say much about the iconic winemaker Rene Barbier. His Clos Mogador is perhaps the most famous Priorat wine. It is an organically grown full deep red wine and belongs to the absolute top from the Priorat. The Clos Mogador is full of black ripe fruit, spices, minerals, coffee, truffles, beautiful tannins and a very impressive finish. The Clos Mogador is a blend of Garnacha, Cariñena, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes are picked over a period of two months, because they do not all ripen at the same time. The grapes are grown biodynamically, so with attention and respect for the plant and the natural conditions, and all work on the land is carried out by hand.

The grapes come from vineyards coming from slate terraces which give the wine that famous pure minerality that Priorat is famous for. The grapes coming from slate and biodynamic cultivation of Clos Mogador and the vinification techniques of the Barbiers are seen worldwide as the example of how you can get a wine that so perfectly summarizes a "terroir" with that subtle fusion of fruit and nature.

The dense, purple-black color of this vintage heralds an impressive bouquet that combines spiciness, smokiness and spice with a nice touch of toast. On the palate, all these impressions are enhanced by several layers of coffee aromas, chocolate, licorice and ripe, generous fruit. The silky yet lingering tannins are accompanied by a refreshing acidity. As far as we are concerned, a wine that should not be missing in a beautiful wine collection and compared to French or Italian top wines, this is still relatively very affordable. Definitely decant when young as this is a wine known to improve for many years to come and has a drinking window to 2035+

Clos Mogador has chosen to give the fantastic 2020 vintage for the red Clos Mogador and white Nelin a longer bottle maturation, so this wine was only released in March 2023. According to Rene Barbier Jr. this vintage is his finest vintage in terms of complexity and tannin structure. 2020 was a year of contrasts in the Priorat. A year with very abundant rainfall at the beginning of the cycle, a gift to the country. It was also a year of learning with the emergence of less common diseases in our countries such as mildew and a longer cold than usual. As a result, a considerable part of the blossom was lost later in the year there was a radical change in the weather, a dry and hot summer, but unlike in other years, the plants did not suffer from stress given the good water supply and the old plants in the Mogador vineyards and were able to reach harvest time with grapes that easily reached good ripeness. The yield was substantially lower, but as wine connoisseurs know, a low yield is often accompanied by a very high quality, and this is also the case with the wines of Clos Mogador such as ComTu, Manyetes, Nelin, Clos Mogador and Espectacle. It is a vintage that seems to have a long life due to its fantastic structure.

René Barbier Meyer, Clos Mogador Winery Winemaker

2 020 is a year of contrasts. A year with a very abundant rainfall at the beginning of the cycle, a gift for our land. It was also a year of learning with the appearance of less common diseases in our lands. We lost some blossom, but we worked hard until well into June. At the end of that month, there was a radical change in the weather, a dry and hot summer, but unlike other years, the plants did not suffer any stress and we were able to arrive at harvest time with grapes that easily reached good maturity. With all this we have achieved a pleasurable, balanced wine. I hope you enjoy it.

FACT: The grapes are pressed using an olive oil press, so that only half of the grape juice is obtained (in contrast to a normal press), but this is the most beautiful part and this makes the wine 50% more concentrated.

René Barbier, together with Carles Pastrana from Clos de l'Obac, Alvaro Palacios (from Rioja, but known for L'Ermita in Priorat) and José Lluis Perez (Clos Martinet, and father of Sarah Perez), is one of the "founding fathers" of this recently discovered or rediscovered Priorat wine region. Clos Mogador is named after the single vineyard that René Barbier began cultivating in the 1970s, in the now world-famous village of Gratallops. The wines of Clos Mogador have become mythical wines, just like Sassicaia from Italy and Château Margaux from France. Clos Mogador has the cult status of great world wine. A special feature of René Barbier's wine making: he presses the grapes using an olive oil press, so that only half of the grape juice is obtained (in contrast to a normal press). As a result, the wine is 50% more concentrated and appears almost licorice in the glass. Priorat wines are naturally quite concentrated, and yields are usually already microscopic. Robert Parker was one of the first international journalists to give additional critical acclaim to the wines of Clos Mogador. and now the wines of Rene Barbier and Sara Perez (Rene's wife) are a household name.

In addition to the Clos Mogador, his wife, the famous winemaker Sara Pérez, makes wines in the Montsant (the region around the Priorat) from the winery La Universal and Mas Martinet. These wines such as Clos Martinet, Venus and Dido are now also among Spain's best wines