Clos Mogador, "Nelin" Priorat White 2010
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94
Wine Advocate
The 2010 Nelin is a little tease! At first it seems anonymous and then unfurls with subtle, seductive aromas of apricot and Clementine, all with very fine delineation (not a million miles away from a young Laville Haut-Brion.) The palate is medium-bodied with a very composed entry. It has wonderful harmony and a crisp, very focused finish, with racy acidity cutting through the quince and candied orange peel. It has very good persistency on the finish and has the substance to suggest it will age well.
(a blend of 40% garnacha, 20% cabernet sauvignon, 20% syrah and 20% Carignan): Inky ruby. Pungent, highly perfumed aromas of dark berry compote, licorice, incense and smoky minerals, with a sexy floral overtone. Juicy, penetrating and energetic on the palate, offering intense black and blue fruit flavors and a suave violet pastille nuance. Packs a serious punch but comes off as lithe, finishing with excellent clarity and smooth, harmonious tannins. This wine has become increasingly elegant in recent vintages, a development that I find thrilling.
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Clos Mogador, "Nelin" Priorat White 2013
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94
Wine Advocate
The 2013 Nelin was bottled in April 2015, so it has had a much longer élevage than before and they even hope to hold onto the bottles for a few months before selling it. It has a very expressive nose of yellow flowers, pollen, beeswax and quince intermixed with some earthy, clay-like aromas. The palate is more delineated and fresh than the nose hints, great acidity and saline, marine flavors ending salty. It’s a very tasty, unusual and nuanced white produced in a different, more oxidative style than the majority of whites nowadays. Just great.
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Clos Mogador, "Nelin" Priorat White 2022
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96
Wine Advocate
All the wines go through malolactic in barrel, including the white 2022 Nelin, a blend that has been changing over time. In 2022, it was produced exclusively with local varieties, Garnacha Blanca, Macabeu, Xarel·lo, Cariñena Blanca, Picapoll Blanco, Trepat Blanco, PX and Escanyavelles from four small organic vineyards. The juice from the pressing of the full clusters fermented with indigenous yeasts in 1,200-liter oak foudres, with a slow and long fermentation that takes between three and nine months. It matured in foudre for one year and then was transferred to stainless steel for six to eight more months. Despite the dry conditions and the heat waves, it came after the 2021, and the vines had enough reserves, so the wines are fresher than expected. It’s a Mediterranean blend with 14% alcohol and 5.3 grams of acidity, clean and harmonious. The north-facing plots behaved very well, and the varieties can take the conditions without a problem, so the wine doesn’t seem affected at all. In fact, it’s quite fresh, medium-bodied and very tasty, serious and characterful, a triumph over the extreme conditions of the year. It’s a white with aging potential. 9,000 bottles were filled in April 2024.
Glittering gold in the glass, with aromas of honeysuckle, chamomile, white sage, and firm peaches, lead into a lush palate that combines generous flavor with an almost chalky mineral freshness and succulent acidity. A blend of Garnacha Blanca and Macabeu provides texture and drive. The complexity is impressive while the wine remains charming and poised. Europvin USA.
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Clos Mogador, "Nelin" Priorat White 2023
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96+
Wine Advocate
The three varieties that are more important for the future of the whites are Xarel.lo, Picapoll and Cariñena Blanca. The 2023 Nelin was produced exclusively with local varieties—Garnacha Blanca, Macabeu, Xarel.lo, Cariñena Blanca, Picapoll Blanco, Trepat Blanco, Pedro Ximenez and Escanyavelles—from four small organic vineyards. The juice from the pressing of the full clusters fermented with indigenous yeasts in 1,200-liter oak foudres, with a slow and long fermentation that took between three and nine months. It matured in foudre for one year and then was transferred to stainless steel for six to eight more months. It epitomizes the Mediterranean character of whites with tons of aromatic herbs and crushed stones. It opens up nicely in the glass and is ripe but fresh, powerful and balanced. It finishes with a salty and slightly bitter twist. Despite the lower yields, they kept similar volumes because more and more vineyards are in production. In 2023, they produced 7,000 to 8,000 bottles, but the plan is to reach 15,000. And in the future, they might divide the volume into two wines, but we’ll have to wait and see…
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