Founded by René Barbier in 1979, Clos Mogador is one of the five famous wineries that reinvented Priorat in the 1990s. René Barbier Jr. now runs the daily operations, overseeing both oenology and viticulture. Possessing an excellent understanding of the extreme conditions in Priorat, Barbier Jr. focuses on Garnatxa and Cariñena, aiming to bring out the purest possible expression of the region and working to revive long-suffering vineyards, such as Manyetas, Almendros and the stunning Espectacle. Barbier doesn’t like fruitiness, equating it to “the ketchup of wine, ” but he produces vivid expressions of the regional terroir, imbued with the subtle, painstakingly polished textures that are his true love. A far cry from the concentrated styles of yesteryear, these wines have the strange magic one finds in Priorat: weightless concentration, complex, ripe expressions, freshness and a free-flowing spirit. As Barbier Jr. says, “In Priorat, we make wines of character. If you want elegance, go to Burgundy.”