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Cirsion is produced from selected clusters of berries from the oldest of Roda’s Tempranillo vineyards. As harvest approaches, maturity levels in all vines are followed minutely, and in some vines, polymerization of tannins and anthocyanins begins within the berry while the fruit is still on the vine. This phenomenon is unusual; typically, polymerization takes place only during fermentation and subsequent aging. However, when it begins to occur prior to harvest, expression of variety, vinosity and terroir in the finished wine is greatly enhanced without extended oak contact.
- Country: Spain
- Region: Rioja
- Subregion: La Rioja Alta
- Commune/Village: Haro
Bodegas Roda was founded 1987 by Mario Rottlant and Carmen Daurella, a Catalán couple who met through their business affiliations in gourmet products and wine. Well aware of the significant number of excellent traditional wineries in Rioja, their objective was to create superb, high expression red wines in a modern style reflective of the region and the constituent varietals, yet embodying something unique. The symbol of the thistle, an elegant yet hardy flower closely tied to the landscape and capable of persisting long after being cut, conveys a sense of their vision for the wines.
Rottlant and Daurella focused their research on Bordeaux as a benchmark of technique and quality with the idea of producing wines from estate vineyards. With his Managing Director, Agustin Santolaya, Rottlant set out on a search for exceptional existing vineyards. Over a period of months, a map was developed identifying areas in Rioja Alta and Rioja Baja where soil conditions were most desirable and where specific characteristics of altitude and orientation were present. Their research led to relationships with a half dozen families owning vineyards of at least thirty years of age. Eventually, Rottlant secured contractual agreements for control over seventeen different vineyards, each a distinct microclimate.
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