So far my 152 posts on wine have focused on my tasting experience of single bottles. This time I want to write about the visit I had at Clos de l’Obac. A winery officially named Costers del Siurana and located in Gratallops, in the heart of the Priorat DOQ.
Clos de l’Obac physically shares some walls with Clos de Mogador. A reminder of the fact that at the end of the seventies René Barbier and Carles Pastrana have been among the pioneers convinced that the Priorat region offered good conditions for making good wines. They were right and their efforts paid off, putting their wines among the élite of the world.
Carles Pastrana follows an interesting philosophy. All his vintages are produced with the same grapes blended in the same percentages. He is convinced that this principle allows the terroir to express itself in the vintage. He goes as far as to keep the various grapes together since the beginning of the winemaking process. No separate fermentation is carried on.
After guiding me through the winery and giving me very lively and passionate explanations, Carles Pastrana gave me a very interesting tasting experience as well.
We started with Kyrie 2015 and 2009, a blend of 35% Grenache blanc, 30% Macabeu, 30% Xarel·lo and 5% Muscat of Alexandria. A white wine that even after 10 years shows off very well.
Next came Miserere 2006, 2005 and 2007, a blend of 27% Grenache, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Tempranillo, 10% Merlot and 10% Cariñena. Of the three vintages I much preferred the 2007.
The highlight has been Clos de l’Obac 2006 served in four versions: opened for 24 hours, six, eight and twelve days. An interesting trick that shows the evolution of the wine and the fact that it can keep its organoleptic characteristics intact even after an extended exposure to oxygen.
Clos de l’Obac 2002 proved that blending the same grapes in the same percentages effectively allows the terroir to express itself in the vintage. Although the blend is the same 35% Grenache, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, 10% Merlot and 10% Cariñena of the 2006, in the 2002 the characteristics of Cab is clearing dominating. Clos de l‘Obac 2006 sells for 65 EUR, the 2002 vintage for 200 EUR, but according to Carles the difference in price is due more to scarcity than anything else.
We finished the tasting with Dolç de l’Obac 2006, a sweet wine resulting from the blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Syrah. A not too sweet sweet wine, which I find priseworthy.
Carles Pastrana has been an outstanding host. Not only he is a very fascinating man, he is also a very skilled communicator. A feature that I guess had more than a marginal contribution in the commercial success of his wines.
I would like to finish this post with one of his maxims on wine, which I absolutely subscribe to: “Of wine, the truth is never told; of wine, truth must be uncorked”
Country: Spain
Region: Priorat
Grapes: Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Merlot, Carignan, Syrah, Grenache blanc, Macabeu, Xarel·lo, Muscat of Alexandria
Type: Red, White
Vintage: 2015, 2009, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2002
Producer: Clos de l’Obac
Price range: Extra (50-100 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 4/5