Drinking very well, but this is clearly not getting any better, and I honestly think it was at its very best a few years ago. Unfortunately, even the weakest form of "slightly past its peak" sounds overly negative, but this is simply a case of a wine that is still outstanding, with nothing negative about it except by comparison to its younger self. I recommend drinking this wine now and over the next year or two before it gets any further down the aging curve.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
1 hour decant, then back in the bottle for a 4 hour slow ox. The combination of 40% Grenache, 35% Cab Sauv, 20% Syrah and 5% Pinot Noir and Mourvèdre made for a very interesting wine. There is plenty of spice (black and white pepper mostly) on the nose and palate with very ripe Grenache red fruits, which was followed by waves of ripe black fruits and some sweet Oak. A combination of red grapes that you might expect from Behrens in California, and it works here. A velvety smooth wine at this point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Brad & Russ at Harvest Vine: Hyper crushed raspberry, ganache, LIFTED aromatics, crazily silky on the mid palate and then a Cabernet stern element on the finish.
Showing really well, really young.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Acid, still prominent fruit. Reminds me of a good, aged Cote Rotie. Fun to drink. Hesitant to refer to a Guigal LaLa but kinda want to. This was really pleasureable. This wine has aged beautifully, tip of the cap to Rene Barbier.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Years left on this gorgeous classic by Rene Barbier.
Opened pre-dinner (roasted rack of lamb, great pairing), with no intentions to decant.
Right off the bat, the wine displayed a beautiful dark purple color, with no suggestion this wine had aged for 21 years. Cork was absolutely pristine too.
Nose - wild notes of earth, leather, dark cherry, herbs, black pepper and blueberry. Stunning.
In the mouth - very firm tannins, overpowering the fruit at first, which led me to opt for decanting. 2 hours later and the wine had rounded out beautifully, displaying harmonious balance and elegance, with sumptuous layers of dark fruit and game, a superb mid-palate and a long finish with tannins that had integrated perfectly by this time.
At age 21, this Clos Mogador seems to me to be at the very start of it's peak drinking window and I would recommend a 2-3 hour decant before serving. I feel this will remain at its peak for at least another 5 years, and will probably drink well till 2030 and beyond. Just shows the quality of the Cabernet and Syrah being grown in Priorat, that they could (together with the 40% Garnacha) produce such strength, elegance and longevity.
Bravo, 92(+) points.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Absolutely gorgeous wine, at its apogee. Dense, dark cherries, minerals, wild acidity and a concrete structure. Incredible focus and outstanding concentration and depth. Anyone saying this is over the hill, I'm sorry you had a bruised bottle. Should provide terrific drinking for years to come, though hard to resist now.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Amazing. Definable not over the hill as had been suggested. Strong berry on the nose elegant mouthfeel Med long finish. May not get any better but pretty darned good
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Typical minerals on the nose, dark cherry and menthol. Terrific extract but not ponderous at all, but rather unusually graceful and outgoing. Intense in the mouth, with substantial tannin, powerful acidity, and dense fruit. Balanced and delicious, with a long and potent finish. I think this is the best bottle I've had yet of this classic. It's nowhere near over the hill, and there is some debate about whether or not it's even fully mature. But it is drinking beautifully right now, and it's awesome. Paired with Ropa Vieja, a super savory dish that presented an excellent medium for the wine to show its best.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Coravin fun - Ready to drink & New arrivals (Kennards, Waterloo): From Coravin. A little gamey, some ripe baked red berries and baked earthy, a little oxidation and sweet spice. In the mouth it's rich, savoury with ripe red berried fruit and quite peppery spice, slightly chalky tannins. Big but rather yum.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I am not sure whether this was suffering from bottle variation or something else but this wine didn’t meet the expectations I had given the strong reviews it receives. After a one hour decant the nose is all brett, the body shows strong concentration but opens with some black fruit mixed with barnyard and then reveal smoke meat and spice flavors. The tannins seemed a little rugged. Another hour of decanting helps the wine somewhat. Half of the Brett blows off revealing the underlying flavors better and it becomes a moe enjoyable but still not a great wine. Maybe a little more decanting- I’m not sure but maybe.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wine of the night for me, and it was up against some real heavyweights. This is showing so incredibly well. What pedigree! Mogador is one of the half-dozen or so classic Priorats, no question. One of the few, alongside for example Clos Dofí, that is pure, pure elegance. You wouldn't normally say that, because those big tannins play such a part in the Priorat story. But this is so balanced and structured, at this point in its life cycle. Carob, cocoa, liquorice, deep deep blackberry fruit, huge body and density and sweetness but such elegance! Such balance - amazing structure because you can't *see* the structure. Like a great referee in a football match - the best are invisible. Extraordinary. Another 20 years? Tonnes of sediment at the end. Wanted to chew it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep, strong nose of plums and fruit cake, followed by a palate of enormous proportions. Menthol, deep ripe figs, plums, pine sap, fruit cake again, incense. I can almost taste the crunchy ripe grapes, covered in dirt and dust here. Personally, I loved it, though I can see why some tasters would balk at the high alcohol. This needs to be paired with big grilled meats. Glad I have more. This has (for my palate) another 5-7 years of generous drinking ahead.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This note is a year late, but I had to write it. Two great bottles, both giving me shivers almost on every sip. Wow! The other was a Tenuta Nuova 2001, I think we preferred the Clos Mogador, but not by much. Decant was probably an hour, and temp was probably 18-19. With traditional turkey, though our stuffing is meat and liver based (no bread, no fruit). The stuffing and cranberry sauce are a bit like seared foie gras and sauterne, but the turkey meat keeps the experience less fatty, less sweet, less extreme and thus prolongs the pleasure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Soupy mess. Call me a member of the anti-flavour wine elite if you want, but we only drank a third of the bottle before putting it away and sticking to water (this being a week night, we didn't want to open another bottle). Nothing to suggest that the wine is defective, just very big and uninteresting. Says 14,5% on the label and could well be more than that.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Super Wein, der selbst mit dem Clos Martinet 1996 mithalten kann. - Konzentriert, noch kaum bräunlich - Noch mehr Frucht als der Martinet 1996 - Beeindruckend wie frisch er sich noch trinkt!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This bottle was a bit weird, with a menthol, iodine, almost fishy bouquet. The palate was super ripe, with dense fruit, still showing substantial tannins which occasionally presented kind of rough. Overall very good, but something was slightly off here and detracted from all the great things going on. Have plenty more of these in the cellar, so hopefully this bottle does not indicate the direction of development.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank over 6 days, over which it retained substantial strength with lots of depth and structured fruit. Strong nose of flowers and leather. Taste of balsamic notes, dark cherries, dark chocolate, strong minerals with a nice long finish. Very good.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was a disappointment. I think it was past its prime. Or perhaps best drunk young. No balance, no elegance. Reminded me of an extracted shiraz. They can last years in the bottle but, to me, they don't evolve. To me, this bottle hadn't matured and it wasn't going to. It was like a fit 50 year old, dressing and acting young, but lacking the real essence of youth. The flavor profile was unremarkable--some dark fruit, tar, espresso--but nothing blended. Nothing interesting. Will move on to the '04 and '05 immediately.
Chateauneuf du Pape (Bronte, Sydney): very dark. Huge perfume of violets, blueberry and a bit of mint. Good intensity, but clearly not a CNDP, not fooling anybody. All about blueberries, more noticeable oak, and little if any sign of earthy spice. A nice drink but lacks the interest of the others. A very obvious ringer, nobody fooled by this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened 4 hours before and decanted about 1.5 hours before drinking. Going fuzzy and orange at the edges. Some thought it was a Rioja. Still needed time for the stuffiness to wear away. And we did not get time for it to evolve. Nose of bitter orange peel. Quite cloudy. Must admit I did not taste too much else. Some hidden fruit thick tannins and wood notes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Truly outstanding wine, with staggering depth and complexity. Really not totally mature yet, but drinking very well, with impressive concentration of elements, razor sharp focus and intensity. The expected mineral skeleton was well nourished with incredible sweet dark fruit, spices and peppers, and juicy acidity. Great stuff, and should continue to age well for quite some time.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was easy to drink right out of the bottle, and will not dissapoint - if you are in the mood for a new world style meritage. Nice wine, but would drink now. A-
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted double blind. Sweet dark fruit, garam masala, EtOH, 5-spice, powdery incense, mineral nose that is intricate and powerful. Sharply mineral palate with lots of fruit and good acidity that resonates long after swallowing. Borders on thrilling. Seems like textbook Priorat to me, guessed Mas Doix V.V.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark cherry colored. Complex nose; baking spices, allspice, clove, hints of cherry cola. Awesome minerals and pepper right off the bat, mid palate consists of elegant, mature red fruit. Balanced. Very long finish that refuses to quit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Time has helped this a lot from my last note. More integrated, showing sweet fruit and yet still holding a bit of structure on the finish. Nothing distinguished, but enjoyable if you have new world in mind. A-
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Almost a religious experience... have always love this wine, in fact, it is one of my favorites of all time. All the top tier wines from this region (ex: Finca Dofi, L' Ermita, Manyetes, Martinet, etc.) are stunning and worth finding. This wine showed little signs of age with an inky, black/purple color, opaque with a subtle hint of a maroon/brickish tint on the very edge. The nose was a bit subdued and needed some time to unwind and open up, but when it did, tons of black/blue fruit emerged, with a strong vein of minerality / stone and spice. The complexity continued throughout the night with varying aromas of coffee, cocoa, and smoke aromas... the mid-palate was huge, generous with huge tannic grip. The finish was initially a bit rough but smoothed out over the night and blended nicely with a grilled steak. At 14.5 this is a hi-octane wine -- felt even bigger than that. It throws a ton of sediment, so make sure you decant. Amazed this wine has so much guts, almost felt bad opening it because it has much stuffing and will certainly last for many years ahead.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great nose, violets, slate, black fruits. Perhaps should have decanted, still rather tight and more closed than 2 years prior. Blue and black fruits, good minerality and firm spine of acid and tannins. 92+ point
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Broke out the 98, 99, 00 ad 01 vintages of this wine, and I have to say it was the most disappointing vertical I've ever tasted. None of these wines showed well. All were on some level bitter and tannic without the wonderful fruit and power I have experienced in prior tastings of these wines.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Tasted double blind. Incredible spice with dense, dark, chewy fruit. Seemed CDP to me. Great spice start-to-finish. Huge and clearly very high on the "yummy" scale for good wine, perhaps less high on the "interesting" scale for me.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wisely I strained this into the decanter as the bottle contained more sediment than I have ever encountered. Luxurious aromas of black cherry, anise, vanilla, and scorthed ed earth waft from the decanter. Medium bodied with intense hedonistic flavors of cedar, black cherry cola, and cake batter. After 2 hours we paired grilled organic Colorado lamb burgers on a toasted brioche. Absolutely fantastic Priorat!
See post at http://maxsatisfactionwine.com/post/57930494405
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium to medium deep cherry/ruby w some staining - quite an effusive tar, herbal/cedar nose - beautiful, sweet berry fruit, great acidity. Plentiful but ripe, manageable tannins - ever so slightly hot, but great length, elegance and poise mixed w power. Saved some for next day - it is even better now, even though it sat ungassed all night - the nose is magical - red berry ganache - the palate has a slight funk (a titch of Brett?) but it is deeply flavourful while retaining impressive elegance - a truly wonderful wine. Will likely go another 5 or even 10 years with ease.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Terrific...sweet fruit, silky mouthfeel and long finish. Will be interesting to age as a science fair project (who knows), but if you want to enjoy the unique "Priorat-y" fruit of this, I would say its in a perfect place right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Granato con lampi rubino. Al naso tabacco, grafite, sottobosco, cuoio, poi fruti di bosco, spezie orientali, cenni di cioccolato fondente. Bocca ricchissima, armonica, di grande intensità e lunghezza. Dura minuti in bocca, con toni che tendono al balsamico. Dopo un quarto d’ora, il frutto riemerge prepotentemente, donando all’insieme magico equilibrio e grande bevibilità
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Almost black color still. Exclusive bouquet with beautiful oak and ripe dark forest fruits. On the palate ripe fruits, some spiciness and a firm dose of round tannin. A beautiful and complex wine but less impressive compared to previous notes. There was less refinement and some metal impressions in this bottle. But….still a great and beautiful wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 90 minutes (plus/minus benefit). Violet color. Nose features red and black berries, underbrush, coffee, smoke, stone and the brett noticed 15 months ago is absent in this bottle. The tannins continue to soften and integrate and, for me, is at the right balance of fruit/tannin now. Red berries, followed by plum, black berries, mocha. Mineral acidity from the start, yet the texture is round, giving a sense of finesse and very poised. Some complexity. Approaching awesome.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Well this was an improvement over a 2001 a couple of nights earlier, and certainly it is an excellent wine. However I can't say that it really moved me. Raspberry ganache. A fair amount of minerality. Ample structure. I really, really remember flipping over this 5+ years ago, but now it is not moving me especially deeply.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This Priorat wine opens with a lot of vanilla and coffee, along with jammy black raspberries, cherries and hints of blueberry liqueur. The wine felt slightly over oaked at this point in its life. Perhaps it’s more a matter of stylistic preference than quality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened for 2 hours. Dark crimson color, barely rim, looks so young. Perceptible mineral nose, ripe liquorized red fruit. Very smooth on palate, medium bodied, sweet tannins, mineral, very fruity and some spiceness. Medium to long finish. This still has plenty of life left, excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Seamless, elegant, silky wine...Actually reminds me of Lafite, only slightly sweeter. Tannin fairly resolved and easy to enjoy now, though showing mostly primary (though elegant) character, and not a lot of tertiary characteristics yet, so might benefit from additional bottle age for those wanting more mature flavors.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Half bottle consumed on night one was really good but the other half consumed on the second night was amazing. 95 pts the first night and 98 the second.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wednesday Night Blind - April 2011 (Peter Pratt's Inn): Blind - Pretty tight, needed a good amount of air to come around and open up, nice black fruit, anise, tar, cigar and hints of pine. The more this was open, the more I liked it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nice bottle, drinking very young. Initially smelled like an Aussie cab with plenty of eucalyptus and olive, but ultimately this blended in pretty well with the dark fruit. On the palate, nice mouthfeel, good dark fruit but well contained, and an interesting coconut component. Pleasant surprise with some good years ahead of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very nice bottle. Wouldn't rate is as highly as RP or WS, but after a few hours decanting, this really opened up to a complex and tasty wine with a very long finish. Definitely would recommend. Full-bodied, tannic, without being overly so. Alcohol was in check.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 2 hours. Dark reddish violet. Smokey berry and cassis, hint of brett (or something brett-like), spicy cherries, espresso. Seems to be more approachable as the tannins did not stand out as much as 24 months ago, but rather were complementary to the still penetrating, expressive fruit. Good balance, lacks finesse. Good length with complexity. Terrific complement to braised Waygu short ribs.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Super wine with leather, raspberries, some funk, cedar and blueberries. Very concentrated and the wine opened up over the course of the evening. Medium finish and should drink well for another decade.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A little taste when opened was powerful and very rich. it seemed to tighten up over the evening and while very good was not as good as I thought given the first taste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is a terrific wine. Nice black fruits,soft velvety mouth-feel.Wonderful long finish with a touch of spice. One of the best bottles of wine I've had this year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Another one of the clearly "lesser" bottles that taste like typical (but still good) Priorat. There are clearly "two" wines in my cellar with the same label. The better one is like a terrific 3-way blend of Priorat with a great St. Julien and Pauilliac.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Definitely ready to drink; full, dark, deep purple color.....dark fruit in nose and mouth. Bold taste with a bit of spice at the end...can easily taste the grenache & syrah due to the "bold" finish....great drink now and should get even better...have another 8 bottles and will post notes every 6 mos when I pop another one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose: oak, vanilla, burnt wood Taste: dry,oak, plum, dark berries, peber, Fruitiness a bit over the top. A bit closed on nose and mouth. A very good wine, but very old school Spanish; too much fruit, too much vanilla, too much oak. Was expecting a bit more from this wine, but still a very well made wine none the less.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very dark red, almost black --- Nose very elegant wood notes with blueberry, chestnut, fresh, clean and focused, hint of red fruit, balsamic, curry and pepper --- Mouthfeel silky in the beginning, then the tannin structure shows up saying this wine is still in development --- Palate dominated by finest wood notes, internsive minerality almost salty, some chocolate, fruit has tough times coming through this powerful tannin structure --- Finishes tart, bark, tannins, peppery, a bit minty --- I suppose this wine is in a intensive development phase and will have re-designed itself in 12 month from now. Unfortunately this was my last bottle. It might show more fruit aspects combined with this fantastic oak treatment. This night 88, let´s see how it perfoms tomorrow.88 pts
Open for one day --- Compared to yesterday this wine became smoother, more silky while less expressive --- Layers of wood, fruit and minerality combine to a pleasing nice wine --- Yesterday I thought this wine could improve significantly over night but it did not. 86pts
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The nose was initially quite restrained with some stinky earthy and cellar notes.On the palate,however,vibrant fruit balanced with decent acidity and firm tannins.Improved with airing but left a slightly odd impression.I never understood priorat anyway.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dark purple color with a black core. Initial nose had a bit of dirty diaper which blew off after time in the glass. Ripe dark red fruit and currant on the nose with a heavy dose of vanilla oak. High alcohol also detectable on the nose as well. On the palate however this wine coats your mouth with extracted, jammy fruit and spicy, toasted vanilla oak. Some caramel and coffee flavors as well. Probably needs a bit more time as the wine finishes a tad hot but overall, very nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Occasional tasting group: Extensive Top Spain tasting. (@ PVa): Like my blind note from 2005 I scored this wine 94 again in a blind tasting. And with the same characteristics; pleasant barnyard, juicy, pleasant oak, some sweetness. Soft, subtle and complex. The wine is completely ready now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2001 Clos Mogador Priorat (Spain, Catalunya, Priorat) (Spanje, Catalunya, Priorat) Kleur: Diep donkerrood, veel concentratie. Aroma / bouquet: Eerste indruk is heel tertiair, animaal en stallerig, minder fruit, nog wel wat jammerig donker fruit. Smaak / Afdronk: Vol en krachtig, beetje 'gebrand', aardig wat alcohol, krachtige rijpe tannines, dik en geconcentreerd. Veel lengte. Algemeen / potentieel: Heftig glas, powerwijn. Zal de komende jaren alleen nog maar beter worden. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Smaak / Afdronk: 18 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 94/100
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
On opening this had some varnish / shoe polish character from barrel and perhaps a tiny hint of reduction. Tons of ripe but not overripe black and blue fruit, earth, game, minerality. Really impressive concentration without being overextracted or overdone. This is very young, almost barrel sample like still. Good balance and plenty of tannin but the structure is overwhelmed by the wave of fruit. Perhaps a 92 now to my tastes as it is still so primary. Huge upside though, this will be mind blowing in 5+ years. (Added later: tasted the dregs of the bottle on the 2nd night, minerality explodes, much improved, rocking, decant 1/2 a day or wait 5+ years)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow...I was trying to rid myself of one of the lesser bottles of this, but I hit a great one instead. Delicious, lush, dark and rich. Smoky and sweet. The bottle variation on this wine is pretty extreme, and I thought I'd figured out how to distinguish "the good ones" from the bad by using the individual bottle numbers on the label. But I was wrong.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The old bottle variation strikes again....Clearly there are at least "two versions" of this wine, and I've had at least 6 bottles of each version. One is a 95 point wine, the other a 90 point wine....
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Game, hazelnuts, jamminess, dirty cherry, minerality, wet leaf, petrol notes, ripe strawberries....wow aromatic complexity! Flavors of cherry with insane mid palaye nutty flavors, tar, prunes and dates. LONG and PURE
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
LPSkeleton comes to town (chicago, IL): nose: huge sumptuous nose of black tea, loads of dark fruits, anise, and some dark cranberry tones on the back end
taste: very full feel on the palate with black tea, cedar, and globs of dark cherry, with some black currants on the back end. Well structured and balanced flavors
overall: a big time priorat with supple feel and a big finish of black currants. This had been opened for over 24 hours when I got to it, so it probably wasn't showing as great as it was the night before, but oh well, it was still pretty damn good. Lots of depth to it and is one I'd love to try again
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very well made, but not my style and/or too early. Concentrated for sure, but too much tar on both nose and palate for my liking. However, this was a perfect accidental pairing with Jonathan's encrusted (lots of butter) walleye over mashed potatoes drizzled with buerre blanc sauce. Enough savory ingredients and richness to marry well with the tar and tannins of the wine. This pairing goes into the "better lucky than good" category.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dennis' summer tasting: Dark densely colored. Nose of dark berries, sweet tobacco, sherry and tar. In the mouth there's more tar, it's dry and heavy, but a sleeping monster. Should be able to deliver more in the future. 92-93+.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Priorat Vertical / Horizontal (Rios d' Sudamerica - Chicago, IL): Huge nose of dark fruits, minerals, licorice, spices and toasty oak. Big bodied and brawny palate. Concentrated dark fruits complicated with herbs, spices, tar, smoke and liquid minerals. Gripping tannins. Massive in every way. Totally stuffed and built to last. Not as harmonious as the 2000 today, but a better wine IMO. Awesome.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted for 9 hours. Medium-bodied wine that is dark magenta in color. On the nose, cherries and sawdust...just fantastic. On the palate, thick blueberries and flowers on a tannic 30-40 second finish. Wow, what a wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Seattle Tasting Group does Priorat (Bellevue, WA): The nose is like the 1999. Raspberry, plum, tangy, gamey, getting very complex in the glass. Mmm, the palate is salty, loaded with minerals. Hugely tannic, dusty, toothcoating, wowza!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2001 Spanish Wine Tasting: Blind tasting. Big spicy fruit aromas with lots of new oak spice. Excellent combination of flavors and textures on palate with great balance. Easy to enjoy now, with further upside potential from here. 40% Grenache, 35% Cabernet, 20% Syrah, 5%?.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Still quite young. I was a bit put off by the raisiny/porty notes on the nose, but this wine was great on the palate. Dense and seemless mouthfeel, and a long finish. Still very primary, but if it develops like I think it will, this will be a great wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
While very enjoyable now it needs more time. Drink the 2000s now and give this another 2 years. Today the 2000 is a better wine but this one will easily pass it once it wakes up. The 01 has more structure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Occasional tasting group: Super Tuscans. (@ WB): Dark blood red. Barnyard. Juice, oak, full bodied, round, sweet, concentrated, alcohol. Very long aftertaste. This wine combines blockbuster characteristics with complexity and finesse. Super!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I saw this on the wine list at Harvest Vine, and had to bite. We had started with an older Sherry, an Amontillado Pastrana, or something like that (I was not taking notes) and we had planned on drinking Sherries and eating tapas, but this piqued my curiosity, so, the best laid plans . . . . Blueberries, raspberries, minerals, chocolate. A delicious wine for an early Valentine's dinner. Wonderful mouth-feel, with a long-lasting finish. Nice dry tannins. Fantastic service, divine food, great wine, y mi esposa encantadora, a que adoro. It does not get any better than this. The wine, alone, a 95+. The combination of the company, the food, the wine, and the circumstances, an easy 100.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2004 WS Wine Experience: 2003 Top Ten: Rated #4. Represented on the dais by co-owner Rene Barbier. This is only the second Spanish wine to ever hit the WS Top Ten. Made from vineyards planted in the 1970-80s. Barbier is from the Rhone region and he liked the old vine grenache and carignane that proliferates in Priorat. He also planted international varietals (C/S & Syrah) when he arrived. This wine is a blend of 40% grenache, 15% carignane, 20% syrah, and 35% cab sauvignon. An Aussie-like coconut nose. Bright candied fruit upfront. Glassy texture, with clean and ripe raspberry flavors. Drying tannins attack around mid-palate. An interesting wine. $60
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dinner at Harvest Vine. Wow, this is shocking wine! The nose was the weakest element with some overripe aromae of roasted plums, roasted meat, and a big whack of sulfur that blew off eventually. On the palate this is stunning though, deep, ripe and animalistic, very ripe Grenache that was reminiscent of Chateauneuf-du-Pape but less herbal and more ripe. The finish was long, almost endless, deeply tannic with a tooth coating character that hangs with you for more than 5 minutes. Wowza!!!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
10/6/2023 - robmatic wrote: 94 Points
Drinking very well, but this is clearly not getting any better, and I honestly think it was at its very best a few years ago. Unfortunately, even the weakest form of "slightly past its peak" sounds overly negative, but this is simply a case of a wine that is still outstanding, with nothing negative about it except by comparison to its younger self. I recommend drinking this wine now and over the next year or two before it gets any further down the aging curve.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/1/2023 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 94 Points
1 hour decant, then back in the bottle for a 4 hour slow ox. The combination of 40% Grenache, 35% Cab Sauv, 20% Syrah and 5% Pinot Noir and Mourvèdre made for a very interesting wine. There is plenty of spice (black and white pepper mostly) on the nose and palate with very ripe Grenache red fruits, which was followed by waves of ripe black fruits and some sweet Oak. A combination of red grapes that you might expect from Behrens in California, and it works here. A velvety smooth wine at this point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/13/2023 - robmatic wrote:
Still drinking beautifully.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/1/2022 - Eric wrote:
Brad & Russ at Harvest Vine: Hyper crushed raspberry, ganache, LIFTED aromatics, crazily silky on the mid palate and then a Cabernet stern element on the finish.
Showing really well, really young.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/20/2022 - Nontaco Likes this wine: 95 Points
Another really tasty bottle, just as good as initial review in August. Lotta pleasure here. Goes well w the second slate of NFL Sunday games.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/19/2022 - Nontaco Likes this wine: 95 Points
Acid, still prominent fruit. Reminds me of a good, aged Cote Rotie. Fun to drink. Hesitant to refer to a Guigal LaLa but kinda want to. This was really pleasureable. This wine has aged beautifully, tip of the cap to Rene Barbier.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/26/2022 - ieatprawnsss Likes this wine: 93 Points
Needs some time to open up, but drinking really well. Dark fruits, dried herbs, earthy notes. Great wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/19/2022 - jsander Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow. This is drinking so well. Give it an hour or so of air. Just wonderful.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/3/2022 - DanielAVTL Likes this wine: 92 Points
Years left on this gorgeous classic by Rene Barbier.
Opened pre-dinner (roasted rack of lamb, great pairing), with no intentions to decant.
Right off the bat, the wine displayed a beautiful dark purple color, with no suggestion this wine had aged for 21 years. Cork was absolutely pristine too.
Nose - wild notes of earth, leather, dark cherry, herbs, black pepper and blueberry. Stunning.
In the mouth - very firm tannins, overpowering the fruit at first, which led me to opt for decanting. 2 hours later and the wine had rounded out beautifully, displaying harmonious balance and elegance, with sumptuous layers of dark fruit and game, a superb mid-palate and a long finish with tannins that had integrated perfectly by this time.
At age 21, this Clos Mogador seems to me to be at the very start of it's peak drinking window and I would recommend a 2-3 hour decant before serving. I feel this will remain at its peak for at least another 5 years, and will probably drink well till 2030 and beyond. Just shows the quality of the Cabernet and Syrah being grown in Priorat, that they could (together with the 40% Garnacha) produce such strength, elegance and longevity.
Bravo, 92(+) points.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/21/2022 - tadgacich wrote: 94 Points
Dark heavy fruit . Excellent wine. Thank you, Rob
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/7/2021 - rgawlowski Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent , excellent … at its peak, but still with some time on the clock ; beautiful nose and long finish; great balance; broken tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/29/2021 - robmatic wrote: 97 Points
Absolutely gorgeous wine, at its apogee. Dense, dark cherries, minerals, wild acidity and a concrete structure. Incredible focus and outstanding concentration and depth. Anyone saying this is over the hill, I'm sorry you had a bruised bottle. Should provide terrific drinking for years to come, though hard to resist now.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/31/2020 - awede Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fantastic! It starts singing after four hours in the decanter. Years of live ahead.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/6/2020 - pleigh Likes this wine: 94 Points
Amazing complexion. Priorat !
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/28/2020 - Dickdoc49 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Amazing. Definable not over the hill as had been suggested. Strong berry on the nose elegant mouthfeel Med long finish. May not get any better but pretty darned good
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/22/2020 - LoireFan wrote: 92 Points
Quite pleasing!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2019 - robmatic wrote: 98 Points
Typical minerals on the nose, dark cherry and menthol. Terrific extract but not ponderous at all, but rather unusually graceful and outgoing. Intense in the mouth, with substantial tannin, powerful acidity, and dense fruit. Balanced and delicious, with a long and potent finish. I think this is the best bottle I've had yet of this classic. It's nowhere near over the hill, and there is some debate about whether or not it's even fully mature. But it is drinking beautifully right now, and it's awesome. Paired with Ropa Vieja, a super savory dish that presented an excellent medium for the wine to show its best.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/22/2019 - MichaelM1 wrote: 98 Points
Outstanding. Minor bricking on the edge. Deep flavors - licorice and blackberry. Fine tannins.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/4/2018 - chatters wrote:
Coravin fun - Ready to drink & New arrivals (Kennards, Waterloo): From Coravin. A little gamey, some ripe baked red berries and baked earthy, a little oxidation and sweet spice. In the mouth it's rich, savoury with ripe red berried fruit and quite peppery spice, slightly chalky tannins. Big but rather yum.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/3/2018 - mclanew wrote: 89 Points
I am not sure whether this was suffering from bottle variation or something else but this wine didn’t meet the expectations I had given the strong reviews it receives. After a one hour decant the nose is all brett, the body shows strong concentration but opens with some black fruit mixed with barnyard and then reveal smoke meat and spice flavors. The tannins seemed a little rugged. Another hour of decanting helps the wine somewhat. Half of the Brett blows off revealing the underlying flavors better and it becomes a moe enjoyable but still not a great wine. Maybe a little more decanting- I’m not sure but maybe.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/11/2018 - ricard Likes this wine: 97 Points
Wine of the night for me, and it was up against some real heavyweights. This is showing so incredibly well. What pedigree! Mogador is one of the half-dozen or so classic Priorats, no question. One of the few, alongside for example Clos Dofí, that is pure, pure elegance. You wouldn't normally say that, because those big tannins play such a part in the Priorat story. But this is so balanced and structured, at this point in its life cycle. Carob, cocoa, liquorice, deep deep blackberry fruit, huge body and density and sweetness but such elegance! Such balance - amazing structure because you can't *see* the structure. Like a great referee in a football match - the best are invisible. Extraordinary. Another 20 years? Tonnes of sediment at the end. Wanted to chew it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/17/2018 - sawira wrote: 94 Points
Deep, strong nose of plums and fruit cake, followed by a palate of enormous proportions. Menthol, deep ripe figs, plums, pine sap, fruit cake again, incense. I can almost taste the crunchy ripe grapes, covered in dirt and dust here. Personally, I loved it, though I can see why some tasters would balk at the high alcohol. This needs to be paired with big grilled meats. Glad I have more. This has (for my palate) another 5-7 years of generous drinking ahead.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/4/2018 - ShiverSeeker Likes this wine: 98 Points
This note is a year late, but I had to write it. Two great bottles, both giving me shivers almost on every sip. Wow! The other was a Tenuta Nuova 2001, I think we preferred the Clos Mogador, but not by much.
Decant was probably an hour, and temp was probably 18-19. With traditional turkey, though our stuffing is meat and liver based (no bread, no fruit). The stuffing and cranberry sauce are a bit like seared foie gras and sauterne, but the turkey meat keeps the experience less fatty, less sweet, less extreme and thus prolongs the pleasure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/28/2017 - don_quichotte Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Soupy mess. Call me a member of the anti-flavour wine elite if you want, but we only drank a third of the bottle before putting it away and sticking to water (this being a week night, we didn't want to open another bottle). Nothing to suggest that the wine is defective, just very big and uninteresting. Says 14,5% on the label and could well be more than that.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/26/2016 - s******n Likes this wine: 93 Points
Super Wein, der selbst mit dem Clos Martinet 1996 mithalten kann.
- Konzentriert, noch kaum bräunlich
- Noch mehr Frucht als der Martinet 1996
- Beeindruckend wie frisch er sich noch trinkt!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2016 - robmatic wrote: 91 Points
This bottle was a bit weird, with a menthol, iodine, almost fishy bouquet. The palate was super ripe, with dense fruit, still showing substantial tannins which occasionally presented kind of rough. Overall very good, but something was slightly off here and detracted from all the great things going on. Have plenty more of these in the cellar, so hopefully this bottle does not indicate the direction of development.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/28/2016 - gthelen Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank over 6 days, over which it retained substantial strength with lots of depth and structured fruit. Strong nose of flowers and leather. Taste of balsamic notes, dark cherries, dark chocolate, strong minerals with a nice long finish. Very good.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/9/2016 - LoireFan wrote: 93 Points
Very nice but think that 14.5 alc is closer to 15.4.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/7/2016 - Lype Likes this wine: 92 Points
No formal notes, extremely powerful and dense.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2016 - alan70 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Arômes tertiaires de café ( torréfaction ) , chocolat et graphite . Très long et puissant , accompagné d'une belle acidité . A son apogée .
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/28/2015 - redtooth113 wrote: 86 Points
This was a disappointment. I think it was past its prime. Or perhaps best drunk young. No balance, no elegance. Reminded me of an extracted shiraz. They can last years in the bottle but, to me, they don't evolve. To me, this bottle hadn't matured and it wasn't going to. It was like a fit 50 year old, dressing and acting young, but lacking the real essence of youth. The flavor profile was unremarkable--some dark fruit, tar, espresso--but nothing blended. Nothing interesting. Will move on to the '04 and '05 immediately.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
7/24/2015 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 90 Points
Chateauneuf du Pape (Bronte, Sydney): very dark. Huge perfume of violets, blueberry and a bit of mint. Good intensity, but clearly not a CNDP, not fooling anybody. All about blueberries, more noticeable oak, and little if any sign of earthy spice. A nice drink but lacks the interest of the others. A very obvious ringer, nobody fooled by this one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/19/2015 - harrylime wrote:
Opened 4 hours before and decanted about 1.5 hours before drinking. Going fuzzy and orange at the edges. Some thought it was a Rioja. Still needed time for the stuffiness to wear away. And we did not get time for it to evolve. Nose of bitter orange peel. Quite cloudy. Must admit I did not taste too much else. Some hidden fruit thick tannins and wood notes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/11/2015 - robmatic wrote: 96 Points
Truly outstanding wine, with staggering depth and complexity. Really not totally mature yet, but drinking very well, with impressive concentration of elements, razor sharp focus and intensity. The expected mineral skeleton was well nourished with incredible sweet dark fruit, spices and peppers, and juicy acidity. Great stuff, and should continue to age well for quite some time.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/16/2015 - civilmatt Likes this wine: 94 Points
Popped and drank, no decant. Drank nicely right out of the bottle. Great fruit, good acidity, perfectly balanced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/28/2015 - MC wrote:
This was easy to drink right out of the bottle, and will not dissapoint - if you are in the mood for a new world style meritage. Nice wine, but would drink now. A-
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/21/2014 - Philippe_C wrote: 95 Points
Nose of black cherries, sandalwood, cedar... Very silky tannins, sappy ripe red cherries, perfect balance, great lenght
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/12/2014 - andtheodor wrote: 93 Points
Tasted double blind. Sweet dark fruit, garam masala, EtOH, 5-spice, powdery incense, mineral nose that is intricate and powerful. Sharply mineral palate with lots of fruit and good acidity that resonates long after swallowing. Borders on thrilling. Seems like textbook Priorat to me, guessed Mas Doix V.V.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/10/2014 - robmatic wrote: 94 Points
Earthy, minerally, and super extracted. Peppery and long, still needs some time for full maturity, but quite delicious now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/10/2014 - Doc90 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dark cherry colored. Complex nose; baking spices, allspice, clove, hints of cherry cola. Awesome minerals and pepper right off the bat, mid palate consists of elegant, mature red fruit. Balanced. Very long finish that refuses to quit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/9/2014 - VinoRosso wrote: flawed
Unfortunately wine had a funky kerosene nose. Disappointing as others have commented on how wonderful this wine is - not for this bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/29/2014 - MC wrote:
Time has helped this a lot from my last note. More integrated, showing sweet fruit and yet still holding a bit of structure on the finish. Nothing distinguished, but enjoyable if you have new world in mind. A-
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2014 - mwanasheria wrote: 96 Points
Unbelievable minerality of slate, brambles, cherries, cassis, salt. Spectacularly good.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/15/2014 - esfesq Likes this wine: 96 Points
Almost a religious experience... have always love this wine, in fact, it is one of my favorites of all time. All the top tier wines from this region (ex: Finca Dofi, L' Ermita, Manyetes, Martinet, etc.) are stunning and worth finding. This wine showed little signs of age with an inky, black/purple color, opaque with a subtle hint of a maroon/brickish tint on the very edge. The nose was a bit subdued and needed some time to unwind and open up, but when it did, tons of black/blue fruit emerged, with a strong vein of minerality / stone and spice. The complexity continued throughout the night with varying aromas of coffee, cocoa, and smoke aromas... the mid-palate was huge, generous with huge tannic grip. The finish was initially a bit rough but smoothed out over the night and blended nicely with a grilled steak. At 14.5 this is a hi-octane wine -- felt even bigger than that. It throws a ton of sediment, so make sure you decant. Amazed this wine has so much guts, almost felt bad opening it because it has much stuffing and will certainly last for many years ahead.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/3/2014 - sastewart wrote: 92 Points
Great nose, violets, slate, black fruits. Perhaps should have decanted, still rather tight and more closed than 2 years prior. Blue and black fruits, good minerality and firm spine of acid and tannins. 92+ point
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/2014 - Dough Boy wrote: 89 Points
Broke out the 98, 99, 00 ad 01 vintages of this wine, and I have to say it was the most disappointing vertical I've ever tasted. None of these wines showed well. All were on some level bitter and tannic without the wonderful fruit and power I have experienced in prior tastings of these wines.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/11/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Tasted double blind. Incredible spice with dense, dark, chewy fruit. Seemed CDP to me. Great spice start-to-finish. Huge and clearly very high on the "yummy" scale for good wine, perhaps less high on the "interesting" scale for me.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/10/2013 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 96 Points
Wisely I strained this into the decanter as the bottle contained more sediment than I have ever encountered. Luxurious aromas of black cherry, anise, vanilla, and scorthed ed earth waft from the decanter. Medium bodied with intense hedonistic flavors of cedar, black cherry cola, and cake batter. After 2 hours we paired grilled organic Colorado lamb burgers on a toasted brioche. Absolutely fantastic Priorat!
See post at
http://maxsatisfactionwine.com/post/57930494405
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/22/2013 - winot Likes this wine: 95 Points
Medium to medium deep cherry/ruby w some staining - quite an effusive tar, herbal/cedar nose - beautiful, sweet berry fruit, great acidity. Plentiful but ripe, manageable tannins - ever so slightly hot, but great length, elegance and poise mixed w power. Saved some for next day - it is even better now, even though it sat ungassed all night - the nose is magical - red berry ganache - the palate has a slight funk (a titch of Brett?) but it is deeply flavourful while retaining impressive elegance - a truly wonderful wine. Will likely go another 5 or even 10 years with ease.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/30/2013 - Employee500 wrote: 94 Points
Terrific...sweet fruit, silky mouthfeel and long finish. Will be interesting to age as a science fair project (who knows), but if you want to enjoy the unique "Priorat-y" fruit of this, I would say its in a perfect place right now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/21/2013 - Ludi Likes this wine: 95 Points
Granato con lampi rubino. Al naso tabacco, grafite, sottobosco, cuoio, poi fruti di bosco, spezie orientali, cenni di cioccolato fondente. Bocca ricchissima, armonica, di grande intensità e lunghezza. Dura minuti in bocca, con toni che tendono al balsamico. Dopo un quarto d’ora, il frutto riemerge prepotentemente, donando all’insieme magico equilibrio e grande bevibilità
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/18/2012 - Jack wrote: 96 Points
Excellent again tonight. Had it with the 2004 and both were great.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/27/2012 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Almost black color still. Exclusive bouquet with beautiful oak and ripe dark forest fruits. On the palate ripe fruits, some spiciness and a firm dose of round tannin. A beautiful and complex wine but less impressive compared to previous notes. There was less refinement and some metal impressions in this bottle. But….still a great and beautiful wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/13/2012 - thomaskeil wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 90 minutes (plus/minus benefit). Violet color. Nose features red and black berries, underbrush, coffee, smoke, stone and the brett noticed 15 months ago is absent in this bottle. The tannins continue to soften and integrate and, for me, is at the right balance of fruit/tannin now. Red berries, followed by plum, black berries, mocha. Mineral acidity from the start, yet the texture is round, giving a sense of finesse and very poised. Some complexity. Approaching awesome.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/15/2012 - DHutch wrote: 93 Points
Terrific wine with multiple dimensions. Good tannins will allow further aging.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2012 - Eric wrote: 91 Points
Well this was an improvement over a 2001 a couple of nights earlier, and certainly it is an excellent wine. However I can't say that it really moved me. Raspberry ganache. A fair amount of minerality. Ample structure. I really, really remember flipping over this 5+ years ago, but now it is not moving me especially deeply.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/28/2011 - Employee500 wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding, notes consistent with prior--rich and opulent but elegant and seamless wine. Silky.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/6/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 90 Points
This Priorat wine opens with a lot of vanilla and coffee, along with jammy black raspberries, cherries and hints of blueberry liqueur. The wine felt slightly over oaked at this point in its life. Perhaps it’s more a matter of stylistic preference than quality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2011 - Periko wrote: 93 Points
Opened for 2 hours. Dark crimson color, barely rim, looks so young. Perceptible mineral nose, ripe liquorized red fruit. Very smooth on palate, medium bodied, sweet tannins, mineral, very fruity and some spiceness. Medium to long finish. This still has plenty of life left, excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/8/2011 - robmatic wrote: 95 Points
Fantastic density, but still quite tannic. Not ready to drink yet.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2011 - Employee500 wrote: 95 Points
Seamless, elegant, silky wine...Actually reminds me of Lafite, only slightly sweeter. Tannin fairly resolved and easy to enjoy now, though showing mostly primary (though elegant) character, and not a lot of tertiary characteristics yet, so might benefit from additional bottle age for those wanting more mature flavors.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/20/2011 - Jack wrote: 95 Points
Half bottle consumed on night one was really good but the other half consumed on the second night was amazing. 95 pts the first night and 98 the second.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/6/2011 - Vinomarcus wrote: 90 Points
Wednesday Night Blind - April 2011 (Peter Pratt's Inn): Blind - Pretty tight, needed a good amount of air to come around and open up, nice black fruit, anise, tar, cigar and hints of pine. The more this was open, the more I liked it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/4/2011 - cadamson wrote: 92 Points
Nice bottle, drinking very young. Initially smelled like an Aussie cab with plenty of eucalyptus and olive, but ultimately this blended in pretty well with the dark fruit. On the palate, nice mouthfeel, good dark fruit but well contained, and an interesting coconut component. Pleasant surprise with some good years ahead of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/7/2011 - kenthargis wrote: 94 Points
Very nice bottle. Wouldn't rate is as highly as RP or WS, but after a few hours decanting, this really opened up to a complex and tasty wine with a very long finish. Definitely would recommend. Full-bodied, tannic, without being overly so. Alcohol was in check.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/4/2010 - robmatic wrote:
Still pretty tight, but showing huge potential. Hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2010 - thomaskeil wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Dark reddish violet. Smokey berry and cassis, hint of brett (or something brett-like), spicy cherries, espresso. Seems to be more approachable as the tannins did not stand out as much as 24 months ago, but rather were complementary to the still penetrating, expressive fruit. Good balance, lacks finesse. Good length with complexity. Terrific complement to braised Waygu short ribs.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 95 Points
Super wine with leather, raspberries, some funk, cedar and blueberries. Very concentrated and the wine opened up over the course of the evening. Medium finish and should drink well for another decade.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/23/2010 - Jack wrote: 94 Points
A little taste when opened was powerful and very rich. it seemed to tighten up over the evening and while very good was not as good as I thought given the first taste.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/19/2010 - cubswinws wrote: 95 Points
This is a terrific wine. Nice black fruits,soft velvety mouth-feel.Wonderful long finish with a touch of spice. One of the best bottles of wine I've had this year.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/6/2010 - Philippe_C wrote: 94 Points
Nose of licorice, , black fruit, nice volatile acidity... in the mouth, ripe black fruit, fantastic acidity, ripe tannins
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/8/2010 - Employee500 wrote: 90 Points
Another one of the clearly "lesser" bottles that taste like typical (but still good) Priorat. There are clearly "two" wines in my cellar with the same label. The better one is like a terrific 3-way blend of Priorat with a great St. Julien and Pauilliac.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/2/2010 - SJC wrote: 96 Points
Definitely ready to drink; full, dark, deep purple color.....dark fruit in nose and mouth. Bold taste with a bit of spice at the end...can easily taste the grenache & syrah due to the "bold" finish....great drink now and should get even better...have another 8 bottles and will post notes every 6 mos when I pop another one.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/19/2010 - MBKDK wrote: 92 Points
Nose: oak, vanilla, burnt wood
Taste: dry,oak, plum, dark berries, peber,
Fruitiness a bit over the top. A bit closed on nose and mouth. A very good wine, but very old school Spanish; too much fruit, too much vanilla, too much oak. Was expecting a bit more from this wine, but still a very well made wine none the less.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/13/2010 - mhensel wrote: 87 Points
Very dark red, almost black --- Nose very elegant wood notes with blueberry, chestnut, fresh, clean and focused, hint of red fruit, balsamic, curry and pepper --- Mouthfeel silky in the beginning, then the tannin structure shows up saying this wine is still in development --- Palate dominated by finest wood notes, internsive minerality almost salty, some chocolate, fruit has tough times coming through this powerful tannin structure --- Finishes tart, bark, tannins, peppery, a bit minty --- I suppose this wine is in a intensive development phase and will have re-designed itself in 12 month from now. Unfortunately this was my last bottle. It might show more fruit aspects combined with this fantastic oak treatment. This night 88, let´s see how it perfoms tomorrow.88 pts
Open for one day --- Compared to yesterday this wine became smoother, more silky while less expressive --- Layers of wood, fruit and minerality combine to a pleasing nice wine --- Yesterday I thought this wine could improve significantly over night but it did not. 86pts
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2010 - Henman wrote: 87 Points
The nose was initially quite restrained with some stinky earthy and cellar notes.On the palate,however,vibrant fruit balanced with decent acidity and firm tannins.Improved with airing but left a slightly odd impression.I never understood priorat anyway.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/13/2009 - MC wrote:
Super concentrated, and almost overpowering with tar and oak. Probably needs some time to show its stuff, but not sure this is for me. B+?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/10/2009 - Rich S wrote: 93 Points
Dark purple color with a black core. Initial nose had a bit of dirty diaper which blew off after time in the glass. Ripe dark red fruit and currant on the nose with a heavy dose of vanilla oak. High alcohol also detectable on the nose as well. On the palate however this wine coats your mouth with extracted, jammy fruit and spicy, toasted vanilla oak. Some caramel and coffee flavors as well. Probably needs a bit more time as the wine finishes a tad hot but overall, very nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/12/2009 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 93 Points
Clos Mogador 2001 (Spanje, Catalunya, Priorat) Kleur: Robijnrood Aroma / bouquet: Halfgesloten, donker fruit, kruidig, laurier / venkel, Smaak / Afdronk: Prachtige en krachtige structuur, rijp donker fruit, supermooi ge rijpte tannines, prachtig rond maar wel structuur gevend. Algemeen / potentieel: Prac htig glas, maar NU drinken want is op zijn retour. Dit overigens in tegenstelling tot mijn eerdere notitie. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 93/100
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/23/2009 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Occasional tasting group: Extensive Top Spain tasting. (@ PVa): Like my blind note from 2005 I scored this wine 94 again in a blind tasting. And with the same characteristics; pleasant barnyard, juicy, pleasant oak, some sweetness. Soft, subtle and complex. The wine is completely ready now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/3/2009 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 94 Points
2001 Clos Mogador Priorat (Spain, Catalunya, Priorat) (Spanje, Catalunya, Priorat) Kleur: Diep donkerrood, veel concentratie. Aroma / bouquet: Eerste indruk is heel tertiair, animaal en stallerig, minder fruit, nog wel wat jammerig donker fruit. Smaak / Afdronk: Vol en krachtig, beetje 'gebrand', aardig wat alcohol, krachtige rijpe tannines, dik en geconcentreerd. Veel lengte. Algemeen / potentieel: Heftig glas, powerwijn. Zal de komende jaren alleen nog maar beter worden. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 13 + Smaak / Afdronk: 18 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 94/100
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/14/2008 - pbjosh wrote: 94 Points
On opening this had some varnish / shoe polish character from barrel and perhaps a tiny hint of reduction. Tons of ripe but not overripe black and blue fruit, earth, game, minerality. Really impressive concentration without being overextracted or overdone. This is very young, almost barrel sample like still. Good balance and plenty of tannin but the structure is overwhelmed by the wave of fruit. Perhaps a 92 now to my tastes as it is still so primary. Huge upside though, this will be mind blowing in 5+ years. (Added later: tasted the dregs of the bottle on the 2nd night, minerality explodes, much improved, rocking, decant 1/2 a day or wait 5+ years)
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/22/2008 - thomaskeil wrote: 93 Points
Spanish Dinner (Denver, CO): Decanted 3 hours. Dark reddish violet. Cab-based cassis, peppery spicy cherries, espresso, vanilla, some earth. Hugely structured wine with lots of everything.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/25/2008 - Employee500 wrote: 95 Points
Wow...I was trying to rid myself of one of the lesser bottles of this, but I hit a great one instead. Delicious, lush, dark and rich. Smoky and sweet. The bottle variation on this wine is pretty extreme, and I thought I'd figured out how to distinguish "the good ones" from the bad by using the individual bottle numbers on the label. But I was wrong.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/10/2008 - Employee500 wrote: 90 Points
The old bottle variation strikes again....Clearly there are at least "two versions" of this wine, and I've had at least 6 bottles of each version. One is a 95 point wine, the other a 90 point wine....
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/4/2008 - Jack wrote: 97 Points
Best bottle so far. With a couple hours of air these are drinking really well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/23/2008 - LPskeleton wrote: 95 Points
Game, hazelnuts, jamminess, dirty cherry, minerality, wet leaf, petrol notes, ripe strawberries....wow aromatic complexity! Flavors of cherry with insane mid palaye nutty flavors, tar, prunes and dates. LONG and PURE
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/10/2008 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
LPSkeleton comes to town (chicago, IL): nose: huge sumptuous nose of black tea, loads of dark fruits, anise, and some dark cranberry tones on the back end
taste: very full feel on the palate with black tea, cedar, and globs of dark cherry, with some black currants on the back end. Well structured and balanced flavors
overall: a big time priorat with supple feel and a big finish of black currants. This had been opened for over 24 hours when I got to it, so it probably wasn't showing as great as it was the night before, but oh well, it was still pretty damn good. Lots of depth to it and is one I'd love to try again
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/22/2007 - vanpe003 wrote: 92 Points
Very well made, but not my style and/or too early. Concentrated for sure, but too much tar on both nose and palate for my liking. However, this was a perfect accidental pairing with Jonathan's encrusted (lots of butter) walleye over mashed potatoes drizzled with buerre blanc sauce. Enough savory ingredients and richness to marry well with the tar and tannins of the wine. This pairing goes into the "better lucky than good" category.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/9/2007 - Employee500 wrote: 91 Points
Nice, elegant, sweet....less concentration than prior bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/7/2007 - gorm wrote: 92 Points
Dennis' summer tasting: Dark densely colored. Nose of dark berries, sweet tobacco, sherry and tar. In the mouth there's more tar, it's dry and heavy, but a sleeping monster. Should be able to deliver more in the future. 92-93+.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/7/2007 - jaimetown wrote: flawed
corked!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/26/2007 - Jack wrote: 95 Points
This has opened up quite a bit in a year and will continue to get better. Give it an hour of air and enjoy. It improved over the course of dinner.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/20/2006 - Nanda wrote: 97 Points
Priorat Vertical / Horizontal (Rios d' Sudamerica - Chicago, IL): Huge nose of dark fruits, minerals, licorice, spices and toasty oak. Big bodied and brawny palate. Concentrated dark fruits complicated with herbs, spices, tar, smoke and liquid minerals. Gripping tannins. Massive in every way. Totally stuffed and built to last. Not as harmonious as the 2000 today, but a better wine IMO. Awesome.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/19/2006 - DFC wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for 9 hours. Medium-bodied wine that is dark magenta in color. On the nose, cherries and sawdust...just fantastic. On the palate, thick blueberries and flowers on a tannic 30-40 second finish. Wow, what a wine!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/19/2006 - Eric wrote: 97 Points
Seattle Tasting Group does Priorat (Bellevue, WA): The nose is like the 1999. Raspberry, plum, tangy, gamey, getting very complex in the glass. Mmm, the palate is salty, loaded with minerals. Hugely tannic, dusty, toothcoating, wowza!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/3/2006 - Employee500 wrote: 95 Points
Outstanding, as always....almost Bordeaux-like except for the characteristic Priorat sweetness.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/11/2006 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
2001 Spanish Wine Tasting: Blind tasting. Big spicy fruit aromas with lots of new oak spice. Excellent combination of flavors and textures on palate with great balance. Easy to enjoy now, with further upside potential from here. 40% Grenache, 35% Cabernet, 20% Syrah, 5%?.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/23/2006 - Spencer wrote: 92 Points
Still quite young. I was a bit put off by the raisiny/porty notes on the nose, but this wine was great on the palate. Dense and seemless mouthfeel, and a long finish. Still very primary, but if it develops like I think it will, this will be a great wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/26/2006 - Jack wrote: 91 Points
While very enjoyable now it needs more time. Drink the 2000s now and give this another 2 years. Today the 2000 is a better wine but this one will easily pass it once it wakes up. The 01 has more structure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/29/2005 - VinoRosso wrote: 90 Points
Intense and wound up tight. Needs time.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/4/2005 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Occasional tasting group: Super Tuscans. (@ WB): Dark blood red. Barnyard. Juice, oak, full bodied, round, sweet, concentrated, alcohol. Very long aftertaste. This wine combines blockbuster characteristics with complexity and finesse. Super!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/12/2005 - jt wrote:
I saw this on the wine list at Harvest Vine, and had to bite. We had started with an older Sherry, an Amontillado Pastrana, or something like that (I was not taking notes) and we had planned on drinking Sherries and eating tapas, but this piqued my curiosity, so, the best laid plans . . . . Blueberries, raspberries, minerals, chocolate. A delicious wine for an early Valentine's dinner. Wonderful mouth-feel, with a long-lasting finish. Nice dry tannins. Fantastic service, divine food, great wine, y mi esposa encantadora, a que adoro. It does not get any better than this. The wine, alone, a 95+. The combination of the company, the food, the wine, and the circumstances, an easy 100.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/6/2004 - otisabdul wrote: 93 Points
2004 WS Wine Experience: 2003 Top Ten: Rated #4. Represented on the dais by co-owner Rene Barbier. This is only the second Spanish wine to ever hit the WS Top Ten. Made from vineyards planted in the 1970-80s. Barbier is from the Rhone region and he liked the old vine grenache and carignane that proliferates in Priorat. He also planted international varietals (C/S & Syrah) when he arrived. This wine is a blend of 40% grenache, 15% carignane, 20% syrah, and 35% cab sauvignon. An Aussie-like coconut nose. Bright candied fruit upfront. Glassy texture, with clean and ripe raspberry flavors. Drying tannins attack around mid-palate. An interesting wine. $60
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/1/2004 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Dark opaque blue/purple. Forward aroma of bright cassis and vanilla. Nice tight mouthful of puckering blackberry fruit. 11/04
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/16/2004 - Eric wrote: 96 Points
Dinner at Harvest Vine. Wow, this is shocking wine! The nose was the weakest element with some overripe aromae of roasted plums, roasted meat, and a big whack of sulfur that blew off eventually. On the palate this is stunning though, deep, ripe and animalistic, very ripe Grenache that was reminiscent of Chateauneuf-du-Pape but less herbal and more ripe. The finish was long, almost endless, deeply tannic with a tooth coating character that hangs with you for more than 5 minutes. Wowza!!!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment