clos de l'obac 1990

at the end of the 1970s, the married couple formed by the tarragona journalist carles pastrana and the barcelona oenologist mariona jarque embarked on the adventure of a lifetime, dedicating their professional and family future to the project of recovering priorat wines and making them known internationally. thirty years later, together with her two children, guillem and iona -who represent the essential future of this story-, they have consolidated a project that is already known and recognised all over the world. in 1979, carles pastrana and mariona jarque revived the family winemaking tradition and embarked on a long adventure to save the ancient carthusian wines in the heart of the lands that were once under the rule of the priors of scala dei, a monastery located in the catalan region of el priorat. we can say that this domain remains the most regular and captivating domain in the region le clos de l'obac is a wine of extraordinary power, structure and complexity. these characteristics are the result of the diversity of orientations and altitudes of seven vineyards. the 1989 clos de l'obac is similar to the style of the 1990, however the 1989 displays more complexity with a floral note that has emerged. full body, sweet and jammy fruit, excellent purity, harmony and balance, and a long finish. this is a new style spanish red that should have many admirers. these impressive wines are all made from a blend of approximately 48% grenache, 46% cabernet sauvignon and the rest small amounts of syrah, of merlot and mazuelo. the wines are aged in small in french oak barrels for 15 to 18 months and bottled without filtration, they are wines with an opaque color, full-bodied, powerful, with a beautiful richness and a personality close to a great bordeaux. the acidity is holding this wine together, although the finish is dominated by mushroom and feral animal flavours that need more freshness and vigour to merit a higher score. this is more a curiosity than something still offering pleasure.