Clos Mogador 2021
PRIORAT
Regular price $97.99
Clos Mogador 'Vi de Finca' 2021
Priorat, Spain
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
No 2021 scores yet, but the 2014 and 2016 were also from a cool growing season and were reviewed as follows:
98 pts Wine Advocate (2014)
The blend of the top-of-the-range and flagship red changes with the vintage. The 2014 Clos Mogador is 49% Garnacha, 25% Cariñena, 16% Syrah and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon from the vineyard that names the wine (and the winery), planted on llicorella slate soils at 350 meters in altitude. Eighty percent of the vines are 25 to 35 years old. It fermented with indigenous yeasts and had a 35- to 45-day maceration, followed by an élevage in 300-liter barrels and 2,000-liter foudres that lasted 18 months. They introduced oak foudres in 2011, which is the big change, and they use less and less barriques now. They are also using more and more Cariñena and Garnacha, but it depends on the vintage. All of the more recent wines have less tannins from the oak and less Cabernet Sauvignon, and they feel more elegant and balanced. There is great harmony on the palate, with very fine tannins and a velvety texture with great seriousness. This will develop at a very slow pace in bottle. They picked the grapes before the rains, and it's a concentrated year with nice extract but very good acidity.
98 pts Wine Advocate (2016)
Keeping the classical profile, the 2016 Clos Mogador has been fine tuned, reducing the French grapes, and it matured approximately 18 months in oak foudre and barriques. There is a lively sensation on the palate, vivacious and with very fine tannins. It has a meaty touch and feels really young , despite the long élevage. There is a strong mineral sensation on the palate, something that is a texture and mouthfeel rather than a flavor. This is an unusual, fresh vintage. 29,000 bottles produced.
Winery on 2021
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.
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.