2010 February Wine Club Premiere Selection
On steep terraces overlooking the Montsant river valley, just outside the village of Gratallops in the heart of the Priorat D.O.C., lies a chunk of land valued, frankly, for its schist. Classically referred to as "llicorella," this type of soil is what has made the Priorat region famous among top Spanish appellations. Planted in this schist soil are about 2500 old Grenache and Carignan vines (and a few odd Syrah, Mourvedre and Cabernet) owned by Christopher Cannan and tended by the experienced efforts of Rene Barbier of Clos Mogador. The duo has only been 10 years at work with these vines, but already their microvinified bottlings have earned top scores from the critics.
In the stellar 2005 vintage, The Wine Advocate awarded Clos Figueres with 96 points, noting that the opaque purple wine offers up “a complex and expressive perfume of smoky oak, pencil lead, mineral, spice box” and a multitude of black fruits. Dense, opulent, ripe and hedonistic are all words used for this massively rich and yet still elegant wine. Should drink well now through 2015, perhaps longer.
