Balanced, impressive, age-worthy white with a parade of delicious fruit and enchanting aromatics. This is a serious white. Creamy, complex, harmonious. $75-85
Blend of Garnacha Blanca and Macabeo, plus a field blend of smaller local varieties sourced from four small estate organic vineyards. Full clusters pressed, juice fermented in 1,200-liter (317 gallons) French oak foudres using native yeasts. Fermentation lasts three-to-nine months. Full malolactic conversion in barrel. Aged 12 months in oak, followed by six-to-eight months in stainless steel. Very sophisticated, meticulous regimen.
This wine has depth. So does its backstory. Elisabeth Barbier, great-aunt of the owners, described her winemaking family in her imaginative book, “The People of Mogador” (Les Gens de Mogador). Their story begins in the 19th century in France. When phylloxera ravaged French vines, the family of French winemakers sourced grapes from Spain. During German occupation of France in World War II, the family turned to their ties in Spain.
In the 1970s, the Barbiers discovered available vineyards in Priorat, one of the world’s older and more storied wine-growing regions, two hours southwest of Barcelona. The region takes its name from the 12th-century “Priory” at Scala Dei—the first Carthusian monastery built on the Iberian Peninsula. The vineyards can be traced back to Roman times. Clos Mogador is an amphitheater of crumbling slate (licorella), a defining feature in Priorat and its wines. Vines are surrounded by mountains up to 3,900 feet high. The Siurana River flows through the valley below the vineyards. Priorat is only one of two DOCa/DOQ regions in Spain; Rioja is the other. The designation is Spain’s top quality tier.
“Clos” means “enclosure” or “walled vineyard” in French. Here, it means the four estate vineyards of the Barbier-Meyer family, makers of this wine, applying their French perspective. Following in family tradition, René Barbier Ferrer founded the winery with his wife, Isabelle Meyer, in 1979. Their children run the winery today. René Barbier Meyer is the winemaker, aided by his brothers, Christian Barbier Meyer and Anderson Barbier Meyer.
Clos Mogador Nelin White Priorat DOQ, Catalunya, Spain 2022: Deep gold color; candied citrus, white peach, grapefruit, lemon, yellow apple, melon, quince, honeycomb, vanilla, spice, orange blossom, chamomile, mint, saline-minerality on the nose and palate.
Dry; moderate acidity. Medium-plus body; rich, generous mouthfeel. Excellent aromatics. Impressive complexity. Long finish filled with lingering, distinct flavors. This is a plush, hedonistic wine with layers of flavors and the capacity to improve with age. Light, crisp young whites are appealing in their own way. This is not that. This is a much more substantial effort, with a price associated with such attributes. Think white Burgundy with Priorat’s slate-driven minerality and Mediterranean ripeness. Prepare to be wowed. 14% ABV
Pairing—Rich seafood, monkfish with saffron, grilled turbot, lobster with herb butter, wild sea bream ceviche, shellfish in general. Roast chicken with lemon and thyme, rabbit with olives, pork loin with fennel. Creamy risottos with mushrooms or saffron, roasted root vegetables. Cheese—Aged Manchego or Zamorano; earthy goat cheese, Crottin de Chavignol; aged Comté, Gruyère; triple-cream brie or Brillat-Savarin. Avoid very pungent blues or ash-rind goat cheeses.
