A barrel sample of the 2009 Cirsion was very impressive. It is an inky purple color (in the style of the vintage), brooding aromatically, and loaded on the palate. It could well be the finest Cirsion to date, but time will tell. It should have a lifespan of 30-40 years. Bodegas Roda is one of the quality leaders in Rioja. They have embarked on a couple of new projects, the first being the production of an entry-level Rioja named Sela. The second new Roda project is the development of two wines from Ribera del Duero made from 100% Tempranillo. Both 2009s were barrel samples but impressive nevertheless.Importer: Kobrand, New York, NY; www.kobrandwine.com

The 2009 Cirsion is matured for eight months in 100% French oak and that continues to drive the aromatic profile, although underneath lie intense black fruit with small dark cherries and creme de cassis. The palate is full-bodied with a firm grip. It is very oaky and tannic at the moment, very demonstrative with huge grip and layers of oaky dark berries mixed with allspice and tar that dovetails into an more elegant blackberry pastille and cassis-tinged finish. This behemoth needs several years in bottle. Drink 2018-2025. The wines from Bodegas Roda should need no introduction. “We want to offer consistency,” winemaker Gonzalo Lainez told me. “We own and control 28 different vineyards and we choose the best seventeen every year. The Reserva is more red fruit character, more gastronomic. Other single vineyards that have a black fruit character are not so easy to find at an early stage and are blended into Roda I. So vineyards can end up in either, or be sold off. We work under three tenets. We like acidity in our wines, the oak must play a secondary role and the most important, supple tannins.” I enjoyed the wines of Roda, but to be frank, I often found myself searching for a sense of personality, as if the wines were somehow pre-designed instead of working with what Mother Nature gifts. They are highly pleasurable, but in an age where high-end consumers are looking for wines that say something, I would like to see the wines from Roda opening their mouths. Moreover, I do detect the oak too often, analogous to a supporting actor reading the leading actor’s lines. These tasting notes derive from samples that were mostly tasted twice in the UK. Importer: Kobrand, New York, NY; www.kobrandwine.com

Delivering both power and grace, this red is dense, yet remains lithe and balanced, with expressive blackberry and wild plum fruit backed by plenty of toasty oak, accented with licorice, floral and spice notes that linger on the finish. Tempranillo. Drink now through 2020. 725 cases made.??–TM??Region: Spain / Rioja Select to Add

Solid as a battleship, with lemony oak, marzipan and layer upon layer of black fruit aromas. Almost syrupy in its richness but not fully; it’s chewy and creamy, with vital acids. The flavors are mega ripe and rich, emphasizing blackberry, black cherry preserves, fudge and fig paste. Yet at the same time it’s an ethereal wine; the epitome of modern Rioja. Drink now through 2015.——M.S.(4/1/2012)—— 97