When I first put my nose in the glass of the 2023 Clos Mogador, I felt the freshness of spring flowers and lots of herbs, but the wine was a little closed and shy. I'm always excited when facing a new vintage of Clos Mogador, a wine that has been very important for Priorat and for my understanding of the Mediterranean. This year, the wine feels very balanced and has more elegance, and it's fine-boned and with very fine tannins. It's focused, clean and very neat; it doesn't feel chameleonic like some years when its young. This is more energetic, and there's no concern about the body; it's powerful and has abundant tannins, a wine for the long run. This is a step up in precision, freshness and elegance. It's subtle and elegant despite the notable ripeness. It fermented with 100% uncrushed grapes. They are removing the Cabernet and Syrah (in 2025, the wine is approximately 50% Cariñena and 50% Garnacha), and they are using less and less barriques. This is a very serious Mogador. This year, they produced less, just 28,000 bottles.
This has underbrush with strawberry liqueur and vivid rosemary. The palate is full-bodied but guided and linear, with fruit as well as a sense of austerity and polished yet textural tannins. This is garnatxa and carinyena from the village of Gratallops. Compelling and absorbing. Drink or hold.
A grand estate wine, the 2023 Vinya Classificada is carried by Carinyena and blended with Garnatxa, a little bit of Syrah and some Cabernet Sauvignon, aged all in foudres. Full-bodied and powerfully built, it has a dark, dusty, savory quality of earthy minerality, salinity, and elongated tannins, built to go another 20-25 years.
There’s concentration and focus to the flavors of baked raspberry, lingonberry sauce, red licorice, black tea leaf and sandalwood, but there’s also a sense of poise and seamless integration that keeps this graceful on the palate. Sculpted tannins are enmeshed in the satiny texture, and a push of pomegranate acidity brightens the minerally finish. Garnatxa, Carinyena, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2040. 1,900 cases made, 325 cases imported.
The 2023 Clos Mogador from Priorat blends 45% Garnatxa, 40% Cariñena, 8% Syrah and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Complex in expression, it opens with black and red fruit ranging from black cherry to soft pomegranate, together with balsamic spices. Compact and grippy on the palate, it shows delicacy in the background flavors. A wine of richness, it reflects the character of the vintage.
Winery Notes
The wine shows an opaque black-purple color and an intense, complex bouquet of ripe fruit, wild herbs, toasted bread, spices and smoke. The palate is massive and well balanced with a fat richness, a dense structure of velvety tannins and a powerful, lively acidity. Flavors of crystalized fruit, pepper, chocolate, coffee and a whole panoply of spices and herbs. On the long finish there are the unique mineral tones that make Priorat so special.