Description
“…stunning examples of what Spain can produce but so rarely does.” Robert Parker
“Gratallops wines are amongst the most stunning in all of Spain. The ‘Gratallops pioneers’ proved beyond doubt that garnacha and cariñena are perfectly capable of producing highly complex, quality wine – as long as yields are low. The result is that Gratallops wines are amongst the most stunning in all of Spain: their concentration and character are outstanding as is their price.” John Radford, The New Spain
Rene Barbier is a living legend in Priorat, and greatly responsible for the rebirth of the area. His Clos Mogador and Clos Manyetes are unquestionably two of Spain’s greatest wines. They are powerful yet stylishly elegant reds, offering amazing consistency and class year after year.
When drinking a Clos Mogador or Clos Manyetes, you’re drinking the very land where the vines grow. Here, terroir reigns supreme over variety and over man. What drew Barbier to the region was the abundance of old vines and the remarkable terroir. The soil, except on the fringes of the region, is pure slate or schist, known locally as llicorella, with virtually no topsoil. Despite the dry, rocky soils, there is no shortage of subterranean water; so even though the vines’ roots must descend many metres, they can always find sufficient moisture to keep them alive. They are, in essence, mining llicorella, which feeds mineral rich liquid into their thirsty root systems. These are wines of intense, complex fruit, rich texture and velvety tannins, freshened by llicorella (slate) driven minerality. Rene Barbier’s Priorat, Clos Mogador, is now firmly established as one of the greatest wines of Spain. With age, Clos Mogador wines develop the kind of elegance and deliciousness that is normally associated with the finest mature Bordeaux or Barolo.
Less well known (perhaps because only 750 cases are produced) is that Barbier produces another red Priorat from an ancient vineyard called Clos Manyetes. While the wine comes from a separate vineyard, it is made side by side with its sibling at Barbier’s Clos Mogador winery. Perhaps the biggest differences are the age of the vines and the blend of grapes: Manyetes is a more traditional blend of native varieties – mostly Cariñena (Carignan), typically 70% and the balance is Garnacha, all from 80+ year old vines. Some would argue this classic Mediterranean blend is a more authentic expression of Priorat. It is certainly more traditional. The old vine Carignan brings its expressive and distinctive inky, savoury fruit and fresh tannins, the Garnacha providing a long, gently perfumed finish. Absolutely delicious, this is a stunning, highly authentic Priorat of the highest order.
Both wines are considerably more refined than just about all other Priorat’s and after 30 years of vineyard work and 20 yrs making wines they are beginning to understand their vineyards and are making subtle changes such as larger burgundian coopered oak, longer pre and post ferment 50% whole bunch ferment, wild yeasts and no racking until bottling etc. Today, Rene’s son, René Barbier Jr, is working very closely with his father and this has had an immediate impact. How much this has specifically to do with Rene Jr’s involvement is not sure, but this highly intelligent and passionate young man has clearly brought additional energy and creativity to his family’s Domaine.
Clos Mogador is situated on a ridge near the village of Gratallops, in the heart of the Priorat hills. The vineyards are planted on very steep terraces forming a gigantic natural amphitheatre above the Siurana river, with an average altitude of 450 metres above sea level. The soil here is pure licorella (slate). There is a range of vines planted in the vineyard and the exact blend varies with the vintage. It is always a dominant proportion of Garnacha, Cariñena, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. There are also small parcels of Pinot Noir, Merlot and Mourvedre that can also make their way in to the blend. The Garnacha vines are 80+ years old while the other varieties were planted in the 80’s. The poor soils, and the fact that the vineyard is dry grown, results in staggeringly low yields of 9hl/ha. This 2010 is elegant with extraordinary pin point precision and power…2010 was a terrific season (heralded as vintage of a generation so definitely one of the finest Mogador’s produced to date and will comfortably live and evolve for 15-20 years, and beyond.
“Rene Barbier (Junior) kindly put together a blend of the five barrels that will go to constitute the 2010 Clos Mogador. It has a stricter, fresher bouquet than the 2009, with great minerality and sparkling precision. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins and wonderful purity. It exhibits notes of dark cherries, crushed stone, slate and touches of thyme and white pepper towards the finish, which has immense precision and focus. This is going to be a razor-sharp Clos Mogador – do not wait to place your order!” (94-96) points, Neal Martin, Wine Advocate #200 Apr 2012.
RRP $190
