Clos Mogador 2022 - 1.5L
Clos Mogador 2022 - 1.5L
97 pts The Wine Advocate
Drink Date: 2025 – 2038
Their single-vineyard 2022 Clos Mogador, they flagship wine, was produced with a blend of grapes, mostly Garnacha and Cariñena but also some Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon (less and less, as they are regrafting most of them). It fermented with 40% full clusters and matured in 2,000- and 2,500-liter oak foudres; some are old barriques, to avoid having too much new oak, and some lots finish aging in concrete to complete some 20 months. They have implemented some changes, moving toward larger volumes, abandoning the barriques and moving to foudre (with the low volumes in 2024, the wine will be only in foudre). It has a very Mediterranean nose with plenty of dry hay and straw notes, the classical wet slate notes, very Priorat too, and it has a round palate and very fine, chalky tannins. It's serious and harmonious and feels relaxed, without any excess. It comes in at 14% alcohol with 5.4 grams of acidity and a bone-dry finish. None of the 2022s showed excess heat or ripeness. The alcohol is contained and integrated, and the wines are balanced and harmonious but with a more Mediterranean profile. 35,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2024. Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez
Clos Mogador is the winery from the Barbier family in Gratallops in Priorat, where they have 40 hectares of vineyards and produce 60,000 to 65,000 bottles of wine per year. In the last few years, they have had to be creative to be able to continue producing wines with energy and balance, given the challenging weather of recent years. They have started to use direct pressings, employ carbonic maceration of the grapes from south-facing plots or varieties more sensitive to drought, play with the blends to achieve more freshness and use less oxidative materials for the élevage.
This time, I tasted with Christian Barber, who has also started his own personal project (Christian Barber i Gisela, reviewed separately). He's in charge of the vineyards and explained the changes they've been implementing to adapt to the new climate conditions, such as using cover crops, harvesting earlier, working with more indigenous varieties, fermenting with some full clusters and some carbonic maceration, etc. He works in regenerative agriculture and has suffered a lot in the last couple of years because of the lack of rain. The vineyards are certified organic, and they also have a biodynamic certification from the Regenerative Viticulture Alliance, but for now, the bottles don't carry the seal. Yields have been abysmal for Clos Mogador in recent years: in 2023, they produced 50% of the normal volume, and in 2024, they produced half of what they produced in 2023! But the wines are as good as ever or even better! Published: May 01, 2025
Founded in 1979, the 20ha Clos Mogador lies at 350m altitude, surrounded by mountains up to 1,200m. The vines here grow on black slate (licorella) soils. When René Barbier arrived in Priorat, its wines were barely known. His hand was a pioneer in the area, successfully betting on reclaiming and elevating the uniqueness of this land. There, like an immense licorella amphitheater, stands the Clos Mogador vineyard, bathed at its feet by the beautiful Moorish stories of the Siurana River. In this legendary terroir, a legendary wine is born , made following the tradition of French grands crus . It is a work of craftsmanship and limited production - difficult to find on the market - bottles full of emotion and generosity that must be uncorked with time and a certain amount of reflection before being transported by its aromas and flavors.
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49% Grenache, 29% Carignan, 16% Syrah, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
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30% stems
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Aged entirely in 2,000L French oak foudres for 18 months before bottling
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14% ABV
The 2021 vintage was a respite between the 2020 vintage and the two subsequent vintages marked by severe droughts. A relatively fresh vintage that gives us a wine with an unusual continental character in the Priorat. Rene's desire over the years has been to vinify fresher wines, with a much lesser impact of oak, with more prominence of Grenache and Carignan, all so that we can enjoy a wine that is purer, concentrated and subtle at the same time. This Clos Mogador 2021 is all delicacy on the nose. The fruit is fresh, the aromatic Mediterranean herbs refined. The palate, on the other hand, is deep, with a satiny texture and a measured grip. A rarity that thrills from the start, just a prelude to the magnitude it will reach.
