JancisRobinson.com

• By Julia Harding, MW
  11/12/2008 (link)

  (Clos Mogador, Manyetes Priorat Red) Subscribe to see review text.

Vinous

• By Josh Raynolds
  July/August 2008, IWC Issue #139 (link)

  (Clos Mogador Manyetes Priorato) Subscribe to see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  10/5/2009 (link)

  (MANYETES Clos Mogador) Clos Mogador Dear Friends, Much to the chagrin of my Sunday night, I worked on this until nearly 3:00am but the end result was worth the late hours. This is a bit ambitious for a Monday but I have to complete the order by tomorrow so it's now or never. Pound for pound, this is as good of a deal as any of our Galardi offers of late and it's one of the best prices we will have on a high-end wine of this class in 2009. When Rene Barbier was looking for property in Priorat decades ago (to fashion his Clos Mogador grand vin), he politely, if not desperately, wanted the Manyetes vineyard. He tried for years to secure it as the base for Mogador but to no avail. When it recently became available through a circuitous family tie, he jumped without a moment wasted. Barbier already knew the vineyard like the back of his hand and his plan was to use the Manyetes as the base of Mogador. With a blending blueprint as his intention, a funny thing happened in the 2000 vintage - the Manyetes material was too good to blend. It's been too good to blend every year since (but especially in 2005) - in 2005, it was as good or better than the best vats of Mogador. When you least expect it, life has a funny way of throwing you curveballs but the swing is up to you. You can wait on the pitch and drive it deep into the left field gap or you can swing aggressively and miss. In this case, Mother Nature made the swing for him and he indeed waited patiently on the pitch. Instead of rushing to blend the two wines, the blueprint he had painstakingly devised was thrown out the window. Clos Mogador would now produce two grand vin examples - the Clos Mogador and the Clos Mogador Manyetes, both at the same level (and price - $80-100). While this may be confusing for the consumer, Barbier has faith in his loyal fans to understand his desire to highlight two distinct terroirs instead of blending them into one. Neither is a first or second wines, both are equal with slightly different takes on grandeur. The 2000-2004 vintages of Manyetes were good but it is the 2005 that will elevate this wine to Mogador's level among consumers. It is downright serious and it will challenge everything from top-end Right Bank wines to the most age-worthy Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It takes its place in line next to the sibling Clos Mogador and even pushes past it in some respects. Rene believes this wine has the femininity he's been searching for (thus his original desire to use it as a base) but it also has an immense stature and soil-driven power that is a signature of the very best wines of Priorat. Tasted head to head, it's almost impossible to pick one over the other (2005 Manyetes or 2005 Mogador) but there's no harm in cellaring both: ONE SHIPMENT ONLY at about the same price as in Barcelona (or even less). VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as a Priorat that is at the top of the heap but still sensibly priced (today, anyway)... 2005 Clos Mogador Manyetes Priorat Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Spain2388