Clos Mogador 2017 is the flagship red from René Barbier’s family estate in DOQ Priorat, made from a single, steep-terraced vineyard of llicorella (slate) and certified as a *Vi de Finca*, Catalonia’s top single-estate designation. Production is limited—about 21,000 bottles—and the wine is built in a distinctly Priorat way: old-vine Garnacha and Cariñena at the core, supported by Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon (the estate lists 45% Garnacha, 29% Cariñena, 16% Syrah and 10% Cabernet).
In the cellar, the approach is traditional but tightly controlled. Clos Mogador has used indigenous yeasts since 2006, and since 2011 it has incorporated large oak *foudres*; Luis Gutiérrez (Robert Parker’s *Wine Advocate*) notes the 2017 was “bottled in June 2019, after 18 months in 300-liter barrels and 2,000-liter oak vats.” Fermentations include a portion of whole clusters and can run long, with extended macerations aimed at depth without losing balance. At around 15% alcohol and essentially dry (about 0.8 g/L residual sugar), the numbers signal power, but not sweetness.
The 2017 growing season shapes the style. Gutiérrez calls it “a tough vintage, a very warm and extremely dry year,” and says the challenge was “to keep the freshness.” He reports “a very slow fermentation,” and while the wine carries “a full 1% more alcohol than the 2018,” he emphasizes that “there is very good acidity that keeps the wine balanced.”
In the glass, this reads as a ripe, warm-year Mogador: “dusty tannins and very ripe flavors,” with “a long finish—warm and Mediterranean,” in Gutiérrez’s words. His 96-point rating is an excellent review and places Clos Mogador 2017 firmly among the high-performing reds of the vintage, especially for drinkers who want Priorat concentration anchored by real structure and lift.
