When I think of the most beautiful wine regions I have visited so far, majestic Priorat is among the first to pop into mind. I still reminisce about a serene afternoon at iconic Clos Mogador.

On my 5th trip to Priorat, we were just a bunch of people, and I loved having Copatinto as travelling companion. Not only due to his vast knowledge on Spanish wines, but also because he’s stellar company when it comes to delicious on-the-road irony.

The most memorable moment of our trip was a sunny spring day in Gratallops, the hotspot of Priorat. With less than 250 inhabitants, this world-famous village is located on a scenic hill 300 metres above the sea level – and exposed to ruthless sun and strong winds.

As we pass Gratallops and the road takes us higher, excitement fills up our car. Then our driver stops at a wooden gate, and amazing 360° views surround us. Also flowers are in full bloom. It’s lovely to be in Priorat in May when this hot and arid wine region is still wonderfully green.

Next we enter the gate to a courtyard that is covered with vegetation. So there he stands, René Barbier (the III in the lineage). The man who came to isolated, impoverished, overlooked Priorat around 40 years ago… and like we all know, the rest is history.

A Priorat Pioneer

Barbier’s influence – along with other visionary Priorat wineries of Alvaro Palacios, Clos de l’Obac, Mas Martinet and Clos Erasmus – on the rise and quality of Priorat wines is unquestionable.

Born in Tarragona into a French winemaking family with centuries-long roots in grape growing, René acquired his first vineyard from Gratallops in 1979. The first vintage, 1989, of his first wine, Clos Mogador, was released in 1991.

Upon our arrival one thing becomes instantly clear. Like his wines (as we soon get to note), René Barbier radiates peace and harmony. Soft-spoken in his conduct, twinkling eyes behind the glasses and laugh lines that intermittently lit up his face.

This man is immensely likeable from the very first second. Although we don’t share a common language, thanks to my strong Italian, I understand some words of Catalan. And luckily we have a local tour guide with us to translate most of René’s stories.

After shaking hands, we hop into his bright green hippie car that looks like it could be straight from the Ashbury Heights. He drives us around his vineyards that are the most amazing grape growing slopes I have ever seen. However, the road is so narrow, curvy and rocky that on certain spots just one mistake from the driver could be fatal.

“This car is from the late 1970s, when it all began here.”

Stunng vneyards

Steep, terraced, unbelievably picturesque vineyards grow Garnatxa, Carinyena (Carignan), Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. No wonder I lost my heart for Priorat right away in September 2012.

“Look at those neat, beautiful rows of vines! They belong to my dear neighbour, Alvaro Palaciós. Our vines, in turn, grow just like they want with grass, flowers and wild herbs between them.”

These words are accompanied by laughter. When we sigh over the landscape, he says the best is yet to come. As we drive higher, it feels like we’re all starring in a mountainous hippie caravan movie from the late 1960s.

Beautiful wild fennel aromas fill the air. René also grows fruit trees and flowers between his vines, “to bring more layers into my wines”, as he says. In the name of biodiversity, also the fauna on Clos Mogador’s plantations is rich (as this map shows).

As a result, all 24 hectares of Clos Mogador’s vineyards are organic-certified and biodynamically farmed. When it comes to the lunar calendar, René nods and says:

“My 45 years old son is much better in understanding the biodiversity; the character and the needs of our different plots at different times. He knows better than me how to talk with the ecosystems, thus his role in vineyard work is crucial.”

Tastng To Remember

After walking on René’s and Isabelle‘s (his wife who was in charge of Clos Mogador’s marketing, PR and graphic design) fabulous vineyards we enter their super tiny cellar. Therefore Clos Mogador’s wines are stored in the nearby city of Falset. All grapes are pressed with a 100-year old press and vinified in separated fermentation vessels, using wild yeasts.

“When fermenting grapes for Clos Mogador wine, it depends on the vintage and grape batch at hand, whether I choose them to ferment in oak barrels, steel, concrete vats, eggs or amphoras.” 

Clos Mogador, like his another red wine Manyetes (100 % Carinyena; the first vintage launched in 2000), are aged in French barriques or foudrès (bigger oak vats). The small cellar room downstairs, in turn, is reserved solely for white wines, which René makes approximately 7,000 bottles annually. Seeing the daylight in 2000, Nelin is a wine he is really proud of.

Despite the language barrier, the atmosphere is wonderfully warm and René seems to be on utterly good mood. Watching him slowly arranging and wiping our tasting glasses is the best possible reminder that life is not about being in a hurry.

My Tastng Notes

First we start with Manyetes 2014, a 100 % Carinyena coming from extremely poor southern-faced soils exposed to burning sun, where “80 years old vines truly have to fight for survival”. Dark violet in colour, this wine offers a sophisticated nose of intense dark berries with hints of chilli and other spices. Wonderfully structured and fresh taste continues into a long, lingering finish.

The next wine, Clos Mogador 2014 (49 % Garnatxa, 25 % Carinyena, 16 % Syrah, 10 % Cabernet Sauvignon) is equally dark violet in colour, but despite similar charming dark berries (especially cassis) on the nose, the aroma profile leans towards floral and graphite tones. Great acid line, superbly smooth yet nicely gripping tannins. A harmonic entity although still young.

And white Nelin 2005! Never before have I tasted a Spanish white wine like this. Beautiful light amber colour and something familiar on the nose reminding me of champagnes from the Aube. Wonderfully saline and honeyed taste oozes tropical fruit and Bourgogne-like butter and nuts.

Seamless, fantastic structure. Perfectly controlled oxidation. Mostly Garnatxa Blanca (85 %), the remaining 15 percent is white grapes: Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, Pedro Ximenez, Escanyevelles (a new grape to me!) and Pinot Noir that is vinified like white grapes.

After his Priorat gems we also taste Barbier’s Espectacle 2014 from DO Montsant. Made of grapes from 120 years old vines, this 100 % Garnatxa displays aromas of red berries, herbs, spices and a hint of animal on the background. The mouthfeel is velvety and this great wine generates a beautiful crescendo towards the end.

Suddenly René disappears in the cellar and comes back with Clos Mogador 2003 in hand.

“I had only six bottles of this left, but I definitely want to open one today.”

Pleasant surprses

There is a saying that in great hands the wines tend to look like their maker. With Rene Barbiér this is 100 % true. His wines convey a serene, warm, harmonic, nearly ethereal feeling – just like the man behind them. Even though 2003 was a superhot year, the wine feels so feather-light and smooth that for a while I almost question whether we are tasting a red.

Contrary to those unfortunately common and often empty marketing speeches about using “only the best, carefully selected grapes”, in René Barbier’s wines you can truly taste healthy grapes.

As the tasting proceeds, I try to speak a bit of French with René as I hate it when you don’t share a language with the winemaker. When we are about to leave, I ask him whether he would sell me one bottle as a souvenir. Barbier vanishes to the cellar.

He returns with Clos Mogador 2014 and refuses to charge anything. Our perfect visit ends in the most perfect way.

Therefore, I promise him to be patient and store the bottle for a while. And when it’s about time, serving it should be easy with the tips they give on Clos Mogador’s website:

“This is the most complex of our wines so decant if it is a young vintage for between 30 min and 2 hours. From 5 to 8 years, decant for between 4 and 5 hours. With Clos Mogador vintages of 20 years or more, please consult a knowledgeable sommelier. Or write to us at the winery!”

Utter devotion shines in everything René makes. That quiet passion, combined with breathtaking landscapes of Gratallops, makes me want to return to Clos Mogador as soon as I become fluent in French (probably never) or bearable in Catalan (even more improbable).

To be honest; I don’t want to wait that long.

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My biggest thanks go to ICEX (The Spanish Institute on Foreign Trade) who arranged an excellent wine trip covering several top wineries in Priorat.