The pioneers of Priorat, from one of the finest vintages ever.
Clos de l’Obac 2015
What a memory! Back in 1994, I was just a 24-year-old rookie when I first rang the bell at this top estate – and walked away with the Belgian distribution rights.
We started selling this wine in 1995, beginning with the 1992 vintage. Already an outstanding wine back then – and still one of the all-time classics in our portfolio.
Today, they can afford to release their latest vintage nearly 10 years after bottling. That’s real luxury for the consumer! Across our entire range, only Vega Sicilia still does this with their Único.
We’ve just received the Clos de l’Obac 2015. Beautifully aged wines with at least another 10 to 15 years ahead.
What’s unique about this estate is that they use the exact same blend every year.
35% Garnatxa, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Carinyena, 10% Merlot, 10% Syrah.
Moreover, all the grapes are macerated and vinified together from the very start – no blending afterwards.
Each bottle reflects the vintage with honesty: 2015 was a warm yet balanced year, with enough rainfall in spring and early summer to avoid any drought stress – something increasingly important these days. The vines had plenty of water and sunshine, resulting in one of the most balanced vintages ever.
For us, this is a very mineral year – just how we like it!
Clos de l’Obac is the estate’s great classic – and its most masculine wine.
This one belongs in your cellar!
"One of Spain's greatest red wines!"
Below are some quotes from R. Parker over the years:
“The Clos de l'Obac is one of Spain's greatest red wines. I have only tasted a few vintages, but this is an immensely impressive, gorgeously rich, well-proportioned wine that can easily compete with the world's finest wines.”
“It has a well-defined, very sensual bouquet of blackberry, tobacco, sandalwood and a touch of Provencal herbs and lavender that unfurl nicely in the glass. The palate is full-bodied with firm grip on the entry, a Bordeaux-like structure with a noticeable tannic backbone.”
“Carles Pastrana was one of the pioneers of Priorat’s renaissance in the 1980s, when viticulture hung by a 700-hectare thread. Alongside Alvaro Palacios and Rene Barbier, Pastrana bottled his first vintage in 1989. His aim is to express the terroir in accordance with the vintage, to reflect its vagaries by always using the same blend of grape varieties year after year, while all his wines are unfiltered. The flagship Clos de l’Obac is one of Priorat’s longest serving wines.”
“Sadly, there are only 200 cases for the United States. Its opaque purple color is accompanied by a sweet nose of raspberry liqueur intermixed with black currants, minerals, and toasty oak. Medium to full-bodied and rich, with moderate levels of tannin, decent acidity, excellent delineation, and a long, concentrated finish, it is still youthful and unformed.”
“They are opaquely-colored, full-bodied, powerful wines with excellent richness and a personality akin to a top-class Bordeaux, so much so that it would be interesting to insert a Clos de l'Obac in a blind tasting with first or second-growth Bordeaux.
Even a superb palate would have trouble ferreting out the Spanish wine.”