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.

The 2018 Cirsion also feels a bit young, and it is also quite ripe with 14.5% alcohol, reminiscent of the modern wines from the turn of the century, powerful, ripe and generously oaked. There is a different granularity here: the tannins are a little coarser; there is a bit of an edge, and it's not as polished; it's a little wilder. I think this is going to age well. They managed to produce 10,200 bottles. It was bottled in March 2020 after only eight months in barrel.

The 2017 Cirsion has been produced since 1998 from specific plants that seem to have a different ripening profile, initially only Tempranillo, but since 2011, around 10% Graciano has been added (11% in 2017). It's very dark and opaque, almost black and has a smoky nose with plenty of toast, wet graphite and earth aromas, ripe and heady with black fruit and dark spices. It's ripe and round but less complex than other vintages, a little lighter and at this moment still marked by the élevage. It matured in 100% new oak for eight months. 9,000 bottles were filled in March 2019.

Released much earlier than the rest of the wines, the 2016 Cirsion is produced with very ripe grapes that they think need less time in oak, and the wine is therefore bottled and released earlier. It's a blend of Tempranillo with 11% Graciano matured in new French barriques for eight months, bottled and released ten months later. This is young and heady, explosive, with plenty of ripe fruit and a hedonistic profile. It has abundant, very fine tannins and a good thread of acidity going through its core that lifts the finish. It's unashamedly modern and showy. 12,500 bottles were filled in March 2018.

Cocoa, licorice and graphite notes frame cherry, plum, black olive and loamy earth flavors in this polished red. Firm, well-integrated tannins and fresh acidity give this muscle and balance. Harmonious and graceful. Drink now through 2030. 400 cases made, 50 cases imported.??–TM??Region: Spain / Rioja Select to Add