Clos Mogador, 'Nelin' Blanco, Priorat, Spain, 2020

Overview of the Wine
Clos Mogador is the consequence of many generations. These generations have been passionate, have lived the moment with a keen sense of intuition, and have enjoyed many experiences and emotions. Great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, ourselves, our children and our grandchildren-all of us have enjoyed, we still enjoy and continue to enjoy the beauty and fragrance of wild rosemary, mixed with the scent of thyme and lavender. We smell the soil after rain and the clay, baked hard in the summer months when rain is scarce. The rocks are heated by sunlight, an intense smell mixed with the scents of spices and ash from burning the branches during winter pruning. We live with slow buzzing bluebottles at harvest time, the cicadas sing song and on a cool night, the frogs sing heartily, joining in with the crickets. Spring flowers and we awaken to birdsong. The birds, in their promiscuity, help pollinate and produce new fruits that are harvested. The insects fly from flower to flower, creating unique creatures, fleshy berries with wonderful flavour, and perfume that will never again be experienced. The vineyards are dotted with olive trees, fruit trees and also not far away, some holm oaks with one or two pine trees that interrupt our view. Wrinkled figs and textured almonds, fruit surrounded by bushes of all kinds, flowers blooming in every season, saturating the air with scents throughout the year... I remember my son, René when he was three years old, spending his days with a group of friends, selecting the best wild berries and putting them in a sand bucket from the beach. I remember my wife, Isabelle, helping him select the best figs to dry or for eating immediately, or my other son, Christian, who is unable to live in any other place on this planet than here, surrounded by all kinds of nature ... "To make good wine," says my oldest son, "you have to choose the best grapes, the ones you would eat..." and this cannot be done in large fermentation vats, it has to be done the same way my son once filled his sand bucket, by filling small tanks ... After all this, a bottle of Clos Mogador brings us together to share our passion.

Grape/ Blend
Grenache and Macabeo

Origin
Priorat, Spain 

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
Nelin is the result of two parallel souls -the balance between the feminine and the masculine side in its youth culminating in the true expression of Priorat at its best.
A renowned Catalan journalist recently wrote: “Today, Catalunya is represented by some great chefs and by the wines of Priorat. We were aware that it would be difficult to marry our rich, powerful red wines to some of the newer recipes so we hope that Nelin proves an ideal partner. The Grenache is evocative of the parched hills on mineral slate where the spicy quince flavours are in evidence.

The Macabeu has adapted beautifully to our climate, planted close to small streams, which impart delicate orange flower aromas. The Escanyavelles lends its solid structure to the wine and ensures a lengthy future to the wine due to its tannins and acidity. At the same time, this little stranger reminds us of the longstanding association of the Barbier family with France!

94 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Nelin suffers a bit in comparison with the 2019 vintage that I tasted next to it. There was some mildew, but less than in other zones, and they produced a little less wine. The wine is concentrated, powerful and ripe at 14.5% alcohol, reflecting a warmer year of lower yields. It has some fine tannins. They always play a little with the skins, but he doesn't like the skin contact with the Garnacha Blanca, but even so it shows, also I guess because of the character of the year. The wine is compact and powerful, not as nuanced as the 2019, a little foursquare and in need of time in bottle and/or powerful food. 6,500 bottles produced.

Product size: 750ml