A recent discovery on our visit to the Priorat region in Spain, Clos de L'Obac is an intriguing wine. It is comprised of 35% Garnacha, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, 10% Merlot, 10% Carinena.
Owner Carles Pastrana teams with winemakers Mariona Jarque (his wife) and Isidre Sanahujes to produce wine each year using the exact same proportion of the composite varietals. Their goal is to make a wine that is completely reflective of the climate and terroir for that vintage, thus expressing "the hand of God" , as Carles eloquently phrases it.
Owner Carles Pastrana teams with winemakers Mariona Jarque (his wife) and Isidre Sanahujes to produce wine each year using the exact same proportion of the composite varietals. Their goal is to make a wine that is completely reflective of the climate and terroir for that vintage, thus expressing "the hand of God" , as Carles eloquently phrases it.
The 2002 Clos de L'Obac was opened and aerated in bottle for 3 hours and then poured without being decanted. Enjoyed over the course of several hours through dinner, it continued to blossom and evolve wonderfully in the glass. Quite a contemplative wine.
The lushness of the 2002 vintage is readily apparent. It reminds me of the very rich rendition of the 2002 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Reserva, which is one of my favorite vintages of LdH in recent years. Carles recommended that we buy some of this 2002 vintage of Clos de L'Obac during our tasting with him at the winery, saying it was one of his personal favorites.
The aromatics are beguiling and beautifully mature. The first thing that comes to mind on scent and taste is a left bank Bordeaux-ish style.
Plummy black fruit with a satisfying, yet soft mineral framework. Tasty cedar and mellow spice with a definite Iberian Peninsula influence. Very enjoyable mature complexity with secondary flavors coming to the fore on a lengthy finish. A tasty chocolate-y note from the Cabernet Sauvignon actually melds surprisingly well with the briary blackberry character of the Garnacha.
The Syrah and Carinena provide a fascinating left turn on the finish that keeps you on your toes and paying attention. This would be a fun wine to serve blind and keep folks guessing as to provenance.
Overall, the quality of the fruit and attention to detail in wine-making make this a special cuvee.
Length of time in bottle is likely a key for this wine.. the components need to "come together". It will be interesting to try a younger vintage of this wine and see how things work.
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