In the glass
Aroma: black cherry, blueberry, violet, graphite, sweet spice
Palate: silky black fruit, fine-grained tannin, mineral, savoury
Roda's icon: selected old-vine Tempranillo with super-ripe, plush tannins yet remarkable freshness, aged briefly in new French oak to preserve fruit purity.
What it pairs with
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Venison loin
Dark game meets Cirsion's plush black fruit and graphite. -
Chuleton de buey a la brasa
Find chuleton de buey a la brasa on TableJourney →
A char-grilled aged-beef chop for Roda's icon wine. -
Aged hard cheese
Crystalline cheese sharpens the long mineral finish.
How to serve Cirsion
Allow 95 minutes from open to pour.
- Open and decant. Open 90 minutes before serving and pour into a decanter to aerate.
- Serve at 16-18°C. Cellar temperature (16-18°C) is the band for this style. Warmer pushes alcohol forward; colder dampens aromatics.
- Glassware. Use a large Bordeaux-style glass: the bowl shape rewards the wine's structure.
- Pair with. Venison loin, Chuleton de buey a la brasa, Aged hard cheese. Match the wine's structure to the dish's fat and salt.
History
Cirsion is Roda's icon wine, born from a study of grape ripeness that selects only berries with perfectly ripe tannins, made in tiny quantities.
- 1998 — First Cirsion vintage following Roda's tannin-ripeness research
Facts
- Producer
- Bodegas Roda
- Grapes
- Tempranillo (100%)
- Classification
- DOCa Rioja
- Oak
- Around 8 to 9 months in new French oak
- ABV
- 14.5%
- Price
- EUR 200 to 350 at retail
- Drinking window
- 8 to 25 from vintage
- First vintage
- 1998
Scores
- Tim Atkin 96 (2017 vintage, reviewed 2022)
Frequently asked about Cirsion
What does Cirsion taste like?
On the nose, black cherry, blueberry, violet, graphite, sweet spice. On the palate, silky black fruit, fine-grained tannin, mineral, savoury. Structurally full-bodied, firm tannins, high acidity with a very long finish. Roda's icon: selected old-vine Tempranillo with super-ripe, plush tannins yet remarkable freshness, aged briefly in new French oak to preserve fruit purity.
When should I drink Cirsion?
Drink 8 to 25 from vintage. Young vintages benefit from 30-90 minutes of decanting; mature bottles should be handled carefully for sediment.
What food pairs with Cirsion?
Venison loin is the canonical pairing. Other strong matches include Chuleton de buey a la brasa and Aged hard cheese. Dark game meets Cirsion's plush black fruit and graphite.
Is Cirsion vegan?
No: the producer uses traditional animal-derived fining agents (typically egg whites or isinglass) during clarification, so the wine is not vegan.
What grapes are in Cirsion?
The blend is Tempranillo (100%). The wine is classified as DOCa Rioja.