The 2020 Clos Mogador comes from a very challenging vintage in Priorat, a year with lots of rain and some fungus problems that are very unusual in the zone, which is usually very healthy. They bought a further four hectares so they could keep the volume despite the difficulties with mildew. The wine is more tannic and a little astringent despite now having any time in barrels anymore; starting this year, it matured exclusively in 2,000-liter oak foudre, and the impact of the wood is milder. A very good result, it's powerful but has good balance. The vintage is more tannic, and the quality of the tannins is not the same as those from 2019, as they couldn't wait for better tannins because of the risk of losing acidity and freshness. 26,000 bottles produced.

The flagship and eponymous 2019 Clos Mogador is nothing short of phenomenal. They have done a lot of improvements in the vineyard work since the arrival of Christian, son of René Barbier, who is big-time into regenerative agriculture. They are abandoning barrels and going for more and more foudres (they started the transition in 2011, and in 2020 it was 100% foudre). As I see in other wines from 2019, the wine has lots of everything, stuffing, power and concentration but also balance. This has to be one of the finest vintages ever for Mogador; it's a compact wine with lots of aging potential. 28,000 bottles produced. It was a year of good quality and quantity.

The flagship 2018 Clos Mogador is a blend of 45% Garnacha, 29% Cari?ena, 16% Syrah and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon that fermented with natural yeasts and showcases their philosophy—slow fermentations with long maceration and long aging. It matured for 18 months in 2,000-liter oak vats and 30% in 300-liter oak barrels. There was a lot of rain in 2018, and the vineyards were extremely happy and everything seemed very easy; in fact, René Barbier told me it was perhaps too easy... It's an atypical year: It has a gentle profile, and the wines are not as concentrated as those from 2013 (the last rainy year before 2018)—they are more elegant and nuanced. This should develop beautifully in bottle. 27,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in July 2020.

I also tasted the 2017 Clos Mogador next to the 2018 vintage. The varietal mix has been slowly changing, with less Cabernet and Syrah and more and more Cari?ena. In 2006, they started fermenting with indigenous yeasts, and in 2011 they introduced oak foudres. It was bottled in June 2019, after 18 months in 300-liter barrels and 2,000-liter oak vats. 2017 was a tough vintage, a very warm and extremely dry year, and the character of the wine is almost opposite from 2018. The wine had a very slow fermentation, as they used larger volumes for the fermentation, and the challenge was to keep the freshness. The wine has a full 1% more alcohol than the 2018, but there is very good acidity that keeps the wine balanced. It has dusty tannins and very ripe flavors, with a long finish—warm and Mediterranean, a little in the style of the 2011.

This red delivers bold flavors on a gentle texture. Raspberry, kirsch, cola, licorice and mineral notes mingle over light tannins, with racy acidity providing backbone. Expressive and lively. Garnatxa, Carinyena, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2024. 2,500 cases made, 500 cases imported.??–TM??Region: Spain / Priorat Select to Add