Decidedly weak now, well past its best. Still showing signs of former character, with dusty minerals, light cherry and red fruit flavors, but the tannins are sagging, and the palate is compressed and dilute. Finishes with a breath of life, but this bottle has definitely seen better days.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A little stink at first, but quickly turned into quarry dust, revealing an intense mineral streak. Dried cherry, sharp tannin, juicy acidity and that old wood character that reminds one of mature Rioja. Drinking beautifully.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
P&P. Cork soaked wet. Didn't look good. Inital pour. Dark red coloured, slight brick rim. Thick wine. The nose was brilliant, roses, liquorella, kirsch. Top Priorat smell. The pallate was medium to full bodied, tertiair aromas, great. Still vital. What a performance after 19 years. Well done Barbier.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Melvyn's 50th Birthday Bash (Hua Ting, Orchard Hotel): I have probably been disappointed by more Priorat wines than those from any other fashionably “in” regions in the past decade or so. Just too many big, deep and impressive, but ultimately neither very enjoyable nor engaging wines. This magnum of Clos Mogador, however, was very good indeed. It had quite an intense nose, full of rich, thick blackberry aromas swirling around more savoury notes of dried earth and meat. It was the palate that I really liked though. As would be expected after that nose, there was a real sense of rich depth to the wine’s dark-fruited character, with ripe notes of plums and black cherries and berries backed up by a deep core of earth and mineral. What I really enjoyed though was how juicy and chewy and delicious the wine was, with fine tannins and wonderful acidity giving it an absolutely lovely sense of purity and effortless grace in spite of its weight. Great stuff – this was a very complete wine. In a magnum, it still seems so very young and primary. Delicious as it was on the night, I would give it a few more years to develop greater complexity; and with its balance, depth and structure, this can probably go on for years, if not decades, after that.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Enticing nose of cedar, dark cherries, leather, thyme ans sweet tobacco. The palate did not follow through and felt thin and lacking the acidity to carry the aromas forward. The finish was pleasant but short-ish.
Need to revise this, as I had some saved under cork and revisited three (!) days later. Seems that the slow oxidization did the trick and even though the nose was just a little bit toned down than before, the mouthfeel had changed significantly; the initial flabbiness was gone and the acidity was well in check with the rest of the elements, the palate seemed more focused and the finish was longer. Initially rated 89, gladly revising up to 91.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Cloudy maroon color. Cork was soaked through with signs of seepage, and this seemed a bit stewed at first. However, an hour of decanting let the funk blow off and this revealed a lovely, concentrated nose of cedar, chocolate-covered cherries, and old sweaty leather shoes (delightfully so). On the palate this is all tart cherry and garrigue, with a persistently salty ketchup note to finish. This still has structural support, with a late trumpet blast of spicy, chalky tannin before finishing dry and long. Great terroir. Overall, this is akin to mature Rhone wine or the better California Cabernets of the 1980's. Layers and layers of "the right stuff." Showing stunningly, with perhaps three years of optimal drinking left at a maximum, so don't be shy about opening this now.
- Ruby color with medium forming legs. It's unbalanced and has flavours of raisin, prune, cloves and cedar with a medium/full body. Smooth texture with a medium finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
When I first opened this wine I was not crazy about it. There was an over ripe, almost sweaty thing going on that I just did not dig. After about twenty minutes this almost all went away leaving a nose of wild cherrys and plum. Perhaps a bit too much oak for me, but very good none the less.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was the best bottle of 1996 Clos Mogador that I have had. Purple red in color with aromas of black raspberries and cherries, red meat and licorice. Ripe but surprisingly balanced fruit in the mouth with excellent depth and length. This wine still has plenty of life ahead of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened up quite mousey and earthy, a touch of old raspberry leaf with subtle red and black fruits. None of the classic soot character. Disappointing, there were a few questions about TCA on the nose, but I don't think so. A touch of brett perhaps. The palate is much better showing some trademark minerals and rocks, raspberry, dark cherry and plums. A touch of old leather and barnyard but really quite simple. Quiet pleasant to drink but nothing special. I went back to it a couple of hours later and it was looking much better, it had lost that mousy character and was now showing some mountain herbs, richer fruit and more complexity. So if you've got some in the cellar, a couple of hours decant at minimum.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Flavors of grilled nuts, red berries and ample minerals. This is definitely a mature wine, but there is still power and thrust in the mid-palate. Sure, it isn't the exuberant and muscular Priorat that it once was, but it is still drinking fine, though I imagine it was probably better about 1-2 years ago. The minerality is still very present, as well as the balance and velvety texture.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Upon opening, weird cooked/stewed fruit aromas, along with a sour oak/dill component...happily, this blew off after about 20 minutes and the minerally, chalky, tarry nose that I associate with Priorat emerged. Nice palate of dark fruit and a pleasing stone/mineral/dirt element. Still, not in the league of the 98s or 01s I've had from other producers (or Mogador, for that matter ). Not sure if this is on the decline or just not a top vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dinner at Steve & Barb's house. Decanted for 2 hours before serving. May have been a mistake as the nose was better upon opening than it was when we sat down to dinner and poured our glasses. Light purple and medium bodied. Very glyceral with resolved tannins and a distinct note of anise. Seems to be at peak. Medium length on the finish. I would have expected a longer finish on this. If I had any I would drink it over the next 3-4 years. It's a very good bottle of wine but I don't see any future development here. 50+12+12+8+8 = 90
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Priorat (or Roy at Il Corso!) (il corso): leather, very mature, some bacon notes, caramel on palatte, heat dmg? some unresolved tannins... with time - died in the glass... too bad
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My best experience yet with Clos Mogador. The '96 was showing outstanding complexity on the nose with exquisite crushed rock emerging from the ripe fruit. Just as rich as the '89 LMHB and it held up well against some serious bordeaux ('89 HB, '89 LMHB, '89 Trop., '90 Pichon Baron)...I plan to cellar my '98-'01's much longer as the '96 started to show much more on the nose than earlier experiences. The '98 out of a magnum that I had last month was no where near ready, but clearly has a very bright future. Awesome wine from a region that rarely seems to disappoint.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Something is wrong here. Color is deep, dark purple and looks fine, but the nose smells of stewed fruit and wood. This bottle had to have been cooked. Acquired upon release at Binny's in Chicago and stored properly by me. Awful stuff, really. The only redeeming characteristic was that the finish was short. This is probably not a representative bottle. If it is, I don't get it, and I love Priorats.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
12/23/2022 - peter.mancell@mfg.com.au Likes this wine: 96 Points
Still amazing!
Beautiful mid weight texture, lovely mild red and dark fruit.Possibly not long to go now but still super enjoyable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/10/2020 - robmatic wrote: 86 Points
Decidedly weak now, well past its best. Still showing signs of former character, with dusty minerals, light cherry and red fruit flavors, but the tannins are sagging, and the palate is compressed and dilute. Finishes with a breath of life, but this bottle has definitely seen better days.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/30/2020 - vintage_whine wrote:
Thinner and tart, without any real power or complexity. sort of just muted and old.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/23/2019 - robmatic wrote: 91 Points
A little stink at first, but quickly turned into quarry dust, revealing an intense mineral streak. Dried cherry, sharp tannin, juicy acidity and that old wood character that reminds one of mature Rioja. Drinking beautifully.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2017 - Kepos Likes this wine: 92 Points
kirsch, tannins still present but already soft and pleasant, quite long and all in all very good
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/7/2016 - Lype Likes this wine: 90 Points
Animal notes on the nose, jammy and quite attractive and drinkable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/9/2016 - LoireFan wrote: 87 Points
This wine is out of balance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/27/2015 - canan wrote: flawed
Mixed Priorat Tasting: Cabbage and prunes. Clearly "boiled" wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/28/2015 - WilD wrote: 92 Points
P&P. Cork soaked wet. Didn't look good. Inital pour. Dark red coloured, slight brick rim. Thick wine. The nose was brilliant, roses, liquorella, kirsch. Top Priorat smell. The pallate was medium to full bodied, tertiair aromas, great. Still vital. What a performance after 19 years. Well done Barbier.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/18/2014 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Melvyn's 50th Birthday Bash (Hua Ting, Orchard Hotel): I have probably been disappointed by more Priorat wines than those from any other fashionably “in” regions in the past decade or so. Just too many big, deep and impressive, but ultimately neither very enjoyable nor engaging wines. This magnum of Clos Mogador, however, was very good indeed. It had quite an intense nose, full of rich, thick blackberry aromas swirling around more savoury notes of dried earth and meat. It was the palate that I really liked though. As would be expected after that nose, there was a real sense of rich depth to the wine’s dark-fruited character, with ripe notes of plums and black cherries and berries backed up by a deep core of earth and mineral. What I really enjoyed though was how juicy and chewy and delicious the wine was, with fine tannins and wonderful acidity giving it an absolutely lovely sense of purity and effortless grace in spite of its weight. Great stuff – this was a very complete wine. In a magnum, it still seems so very young and primary. Delicious as it was on the night, I would give it a few more years to develop greater complexity; and with its balance, depth and structure, this can probably go on for years, if not decades, after that.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/6/2014 - Firefly78 wrote: 91 Points
Enticing nose of cedar, dark cherries, leather, thyme ans sweet tobacco.
The palate did not follow through and felt thin and lacking the acidity to carry the aromas forward. The finish was pleasant but short-ish.
Need to revise this, as I had some saved under cork and revisited three (!) days later. Seems that the slow oxidization did the trick and even though the nose was just a little bit toned down than before, the mouthfeel had changed significantly; the initial flabbiness was gone and the acidity was well in check with the rest of the elements, the palate seemed more focused and the finish was longer. Initially rated 89, gladly revising up to 91.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/6/2013 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cloudy maroon color. Cork was soaked through with signs of seepage, and this seemed a bit stewed at first. However, an hour of decanting let the funk blow off and this revealed a lovely, concentrated nose of cedar, chocolate-covered cherries, and old sweaty leather shoes (delightfully so). On the palate this is all tart cherry and garrigue, with a persistently salty ketchup note to finish. This still has structural support, with a late trumpet blast of spicy, chalky tannin before finishing dry and long. Great terroir. Overall, this is akin to mature Rhone wine or the better California Cabernets of the 1980's. Layers and layers of "the right stuff." Showing stunningly, with perhaps three years of optimal drinking left at a maximum, so don't be shy about opening this now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (1)
4/29/2012 - robmatic wrote: 90 Points
Holding up very well. Lots going on, lots of character. Drink.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/13/2011 - smisse wrote:
- Ruby color with medium forming legs. It's unbalanced and has flavours of raisin, prune, cloves and cedar with a medium/full body. Smooth texture with a medium finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/14/2010 - hsacks wrote: 90 Points
This wine was more evolved but much less structured and focused than the 10/20/08 bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/14/2009 - AllRed wrote: 87 Points
The Blind Drunks monthly tasting (Chateau Lay): Aromas of dark fruit, prunes, pepper and spice. Flavors of dark fruit and spice, finishing a bit hot.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/4/2009 - Johann Von Mastiff wrote: 90 Points
When I first opened this wine I was not crazy about it. There was an over ripe, almost sweaty thing going on that I just did not dig. After about twenty minutes this almost all went away leaving a nose of wild cherrys and plum. Perhaps a bit too much oak for me, but very good none the less.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/3/2009 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 85 Points
1996 Clos Mogador Priorat (Spain, Catalunya, Priorat) (Spanje, Catalunya, Priorat) Kleur: Robijnrood, oranje randje. Aroma / bouquet: Niet heel expressief, zoet fruit, amarenen / kersenbonbons, 'pruneaux', wel mooi rijp en complex, hout, sigarenkistjes. Smaak / Afdronk: Relatief zachte aanzet, klein alcoholisch zoetje, aangename zuren, tannines zijn voor deze jaargang aangenaam. Wel krachtig, maar boterzacht. Algemeen / potentieel: 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Smaak / Afdronk: 12 + Algemeen / potentieel: 7 = 85/100
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/20/2008 - hsacks wrote: 92 Points
This was the best bottle of 1996 Clos Mogador that I have had. Purple red in color with aromas of black raspberries and cherries, red meat and licorice. Ripe but surprisingly balanced fruit in the mouth with excellent depth and length. This wine still has plenty of life ahead of it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/14/2008 - Shaggy wrote: 91 Points
Opened up quite mousey and earthy, a touch of old raspberry leaf with subtle red and black fruits. None of the classic soot character. Disappointing, there were a few questions about TCA on the nose, but I don't think so. A touch of brett perhaps. The palate is much better showing some trademark minerals and rocks, raspberry, dark cherry and plums. A touch of old leather and barnyard but really quite simple. Quiet pleasant to drink but nothing special. I went back to it a couple of hours later and it was looking much better, it had lost that mousy character and was now showing some mountain herbs, richer fruit and more complexity. So if you've got some in the cellar, a couple of hours decant at minimum.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/29/2007 - jaimetown wrote: 91 Points
Flavors of grilled nuts, red berries and ample minerals. This is definitely a mature wine, but there is still power and thrust in the mid-palate. Sure, it isn't the exuberant and muscular Priorat that it once was, but it is still drinking fine, though I imagine it was probably better about 1-2 years ago. The minerality is still very present, as well as the balance and velvety texture.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2006 - grog wrote: 87 Points
Upon opening, weird cooked/stewed fruit aromas, along with a sour oak/dill component...happily, this blew off after about 20 minutes and the minerally, chalky, tarry nose that I associate with Priorat emerged. Nice palate of dark fruit and a pleasing stone/mineral/dirt element. Still, not in the league of the 98s or 01s I've had from other producers (or Mogador, for that matter ). Not sure if this is on the decline or just not a top vintage.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/11/2006 - Grinner wrote: 89 Points
Rustic red fruit, with earthy tinge and decent length, fruit is barely holding the tannins now. I don't think this is going anywhere.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/3/2006 - JeffGMorris wrote: 90 Points
Dinner at Steve & Barb's house. Decanted for 2 hours before serving. May have been a mistake as the nose was better upon opening than it was when we sat down to dinner and poured our glasses. Light purple and medium bodied. Very glyceral with resolved tannins and a distinct note of anise. Seems to be at peak. Medium length on the finish. I would have expected a longer finish on this. If I had any I would drink it over the next 3-4 years. It's a very good bottle of wine but I don't see any future development here. 50+12+12+8+8 = 90
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2006 - 14frimaire wrote:
Nice nose and layering, but not as much depth as I would have hoped. Still, a nice bottle with plenty of life left.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/9/2006 - Mlermontov wrote: 89 Points
Priorat (or Roy at Il Corso!) (il corso): leather, very mature, some bacon notes, caramel on palatte, heat dmg? some unresolved tannins... with time - died in the glass... too bad
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/8/2005 - MikeZ wrote:
My best experience yet with Clos Mogador. The '96 was showing outstanding complexity on the nose with exquisite crushed rock emerging from the ripe fruit. Just as rich as the '89 LMHB and it held up well against some serious bordeaux ('89 HB, '89 LMHB, '89 Trop., '90 Pichon Baron)...I plan to cellar my '98-'01's much longer as the '96 started to show much more on the nose than earlier experiences. The '98 out of a magnum that I had last month was no where near ready, but clearly has a very bright future. Awesome wine from a region that rarely seems to disappoint.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2005 - Renee & Robert wrote: flawed
Something is wrong here. Color is deep, dark purple and looks fine, but the nose smells of stewed fruit and wood. This bottle had to have been cooked. Acquired upon release at Binny's in Chicago and stored properly by me. Awful stuff, really. The only redeeming characteristic was that the finish was short. This is probably not a representative bottle. If it is, I don't get it, and I love Priorats.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment