2020 Espectacle Espectacle de Montsant

“True to its name, truly spectacular.” – Wine Advocate

Spring is just about to get warmer.

On this Espectacular day we bring you the SQN of Spain...

Well, that’s for the lack of a better comparison.

But it could easily be argued that René Barbier of Clos Mogador is a bona fide contemporary counterpart to what Manfred Krankl has done to California wine with Sine Qua Non. What they share is being outsiders (one French, the other Austrian) who could see the big picture AND think outside the box, to create some of the greatest wines in the world.

The last 10 vintages of Espectacle del Montsant have ALL scored in the 96-99 range with Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and this 2020 is no exception, of course. Over and beyond that massive track record of ratings, though, is a tiny production gem that’s rarely ever seen out there, especially at this price. By far the BEST anywhere, as you get to expect from your spies of wine.

Wine Advocate has the background: “This is a joint venture between René Barbier from Clos Mogador, importer Christopher Cannan, and some other friends. When René saw the vineyard, and once the owner was going to retire, he knew he had to buy it. This is one of those places that when you see them, you realize they HAVE to produce great wine. And it does. I first tasted the wine looking at the vineyard, which is as close as it gets to the Hermitage hill or Côte-Rôtie, an amazing terraced amphitheater planted with very old Garnacha vines on chalky soils at higher altitude in Montsant, in the village of La Morera, which might produce the freshest wines of the appellation.”

And Decanter reminisces… “The wine which logged Montsant in the global memory bank was the pure-Garnatxa Espectacle, whose first vintage came in 2004. René Barbier of Clos Mogador heard about a vineyard for sale in la Serra de La Figuera in Montsant. He went to see it. It looked like Hermitage… he knew he couldn’t let it go, but he was also experienced enough not to underestimate the work involved in its cultivation, so the project is a joint venture in which the Barbier family have joined forces with the Cannan family (of Clos Figueres), and with oenologists Fernando Zamora and Marta Conde. It’s a feather in the cap for this sub-zone of Monstant.”

So, forget all you know about the place or the grape; pour some in your glass and elevate your senses, reveling in its sheer, splendid Espectacle.

Very, VERY limited.

97 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate “Espectacle always has the floral expression and the elegance of this unique vineyard in Montsant. Starting in 2022, Christian Barbier, who is leading the regenerative viticulture in the Priorat/Montsant zone, will be in charge of the viticulture here. The 2020 Espectacle del Montsant has 15% alcohol, lower than the two previous vintages despite being a warmer year, and it has power and concentration (from the weather and the low yields), reaching a good concentration with freshness, which is the key to having a balanced 2020. The wine is floral, and the profile of fruit is more primary. It also has abundant, fine-grained tannins that are going to require some more time in bottle. They manage to produce more or less the same quantity of this wine, around 6,500 bottles. It was bottled in May 2022. Drink 2024-2029.”