BACKGROUND OF EL PRIORAT AND THE MAGNIFICENT FIVE In the mid-1980s, a group of adventurers passionate about viticulture staked out a corner of Spain's Western Catalonia region in remote El Priorat to produce wines. The pioneers, René Barbier of Clos Mogador and Álvaro Palacios of Clos Dofí, blazed the path and were soon followed by Daphne Gloriann of Clos Erasmus, Carlos Pastrana of Clos de l'Obac, and José Luis Pérez of Clos Martinet. These five wine entrepreneurs would later be dubbed the "Magnificent Five," partly in recognition of their pioneering work and leadership to revive El Priorat's historical wine industry. iii Priorat's regional success was predicated on three factors: 1) the dry climate and poor-nutrient Llicorella soil that drove the vines deep into the earth, resulting in unique flavors, 2) the ancient vineyards that had been continuously tended since the 1200s by monks and farmers, and 3) the ingenuity of the five newcomers.

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