Vintage Character Bodegas Roda Cirsion 2018 is an icon-level red from Rioja Alta in DOCa Rioja, crafted from Tempranillo and sourced from selected old-vine parcels around Haro. The 2018 vintage in Rioja was cooler and wetter than the hottest recent years, bringing a fresher, more classical profile; in a wine as rigorously selected as Cirsion, that translates into precision, aromatic lift, and notable balance rather than sheer power. Rioja Alta’s Atlantic influence, mixed limestone-clay and alluvial soils, and the old-vine material behind this cuvée give the wine its distinctive combination of depth, freshness, and finely textured structure.
Tasting Profile & Food Pairing The nose opens with black cherry, wild blackberry, plum skin, violet, cocoa and subtle sweet spice, followed by hints of tobacco, cedar and damp earth. On the palate, it is full-bodied yet remarkably polished, with layered dark fruit, mineral tension, supple but persistent tannins, and a long, savoury finish touched by dark chocolate and toasted oak. The Wine Advocate awarded the 2018 Cirsion 95 points, underscoring its standing among Rioja’s top modern classics. Pair it with roast lamb with rosemary, dry-aged ribeye, or mushroom risotto.
Winery Background Founded in 1987 in Haro’s historic Barrio de la Estación, Bodegas Roda helped redefine fine Rioja through parcel-based viticulture, detailed phenolic research, and a contemporary but terroir-sensitive style. Cirsion is the estate’s most selective wine, produced only from vines and clusters identified for exceptional aromatic intensity and unusually refined tannin development on the vine. Grapes are hand-harvested and sorted with great care, and the élevage is designed to build complexity without obscuring site character, making this bottling a benchmark for modern, ageworthy Rioja at the highest level.