Cirsion 2019

I found very toasty notes in the 2019 Cirsion, the luxury cuvée from Tempranillo that has a special ripeness with more depth and volume. In the warmer, dry and low-yielding 2019, the wine was produced with 88% Tempranillo and 12% Graciano, as the grape ripened thoroughly that year; warmer years tend to have a little more Graciano, something they started in 2011, as the wine was 100% Tempranillo until then. It's dark, almost opaque, and it's very creamy, with high ripeness and 14.5% alcohol and a velvety, luxurious and voluptuous texture. It's oaky. It's still a baby. 10,686 bottles were filled in March 2021.

Complex, fresh and deep nose here, with a minty accent to the black and blue fruit, such as blackberries and blueberries. Some fresh violets, hot-stone minerality and hints of tar, cigar, musk and cocoa powder, too. Juicy palate that’s packed with naturally concentrated flavors. Silky and satin-like tannins linger with the fruit into the lengthy finish. Full-bodied, yet even and svelte. Drinkable now, but better after 2024.

Unusually, Bodegas Roda gives its top wine, Cirsion, less time in barrique – typically eight months, albeit in brand-new French oak. From a year hailed as the best since 2001, this glorious wine has beguiling scents of honeysuckle and jasmine, plus the wet slate/petrichor note that is a hallmark of recent vintages. The richness, precision and good acidity signal a long life ahead.