Profile Clos Mogador Winery, Priorat, Spain

René Barbier, along with Carles Pastrana of Clos de l' Obac, Alvaro Palacios (Rioja native, famed for L'Ermita in Priorat) and José Lluis Perez (Clos Martinet, and father of Sarah Perez) is one of the founding fathers of this relatively recently "rediscovered" wine region. Clos Mogador is named after the single vineyard that René Barbier started to cultivate in the 1970's in the now-famous wine village of Gratallops. The wines of Clos Mogador have become as famous as other mythical wines of the world such as Italy's Sassicaia and Bordeaux's Château Margaux. It has reached the cult status (and prices) as "un Grande Vino" on the world's stage.

One of the most interesting aspects of winemaking at Clos Mogador is the fact that René presses the grape using an olive press, which has the effect of only extracting half of the amount of juice that a typical wine press would, making the wine 50% more concentrated. Considering that Priorat wines are already highly concentrated, and that "normal" yields are absolutely microscopic (especially compared to other Spanish wine regions such as La Rioja), the wines of Clos Mogador are nearly elixirs. Robert Parker, the influential wine critic, was one of the first international critics to praise the wines of this stunning winery. Nowadays, Clos Mogador has more friendly competition from other up and coming Priorat wineries, but it still stands at the top of the Prestige Pyramid (along with L'Ermita, Clos de l'Obac and Clos Erasmus).

When you visit the tiny but beautiful Wine Region of Priorat, it is easy to forget how famous the wines and winemakers are. You can easily bump into René Barbier or Carles Pastrana at restaurants, in wine shops, or in any of the 6 or so main wine villages. For the wine tourist, this can be rather exciting! The region is virtually untouched by foreign visitors, even many Catalan and Spanish people can't quite place it on the map. Too bad for them, as you will adore this beautiful region, full of mountains, wild flowers, vineyards, gourmet restaurants (René Barbier's son, also called "René" runs an excellent restaurant) and medieval villages.

Priorat Clos Mogador 2001: "Suave, sophisticated, rich and concentrated, but remains balanced and polished, with bright blueberry and blackberry flavors supported by toasty, vanilla-scented oak. A modern wine with great structure and harmony. Best after 2005. 1,800 cases made." Score- 95

Wines Produced

Contact Information

Address:

Clos Mogador
Address: Cami Manyetes s/n, 4737 Gratallops, Tarragona, Spain
Tel: : +34 977 83 91 71
Fax: : +34 977 83 94 26
Email: [email protected]

Winery Facts & Figures

D.O.:Priorat
Founded: 1987
President: Isabel and René Barbier
Winemaker: René Barbier and Fernando Zamora
Area under Vine: 22 ha own estate vineyards
Oak: French
Age of Vines:5 years-50 years
Grape Varietals: Garnacha Tinta, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cariñena, Viognier, Pinot Noir

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