At Bodega Pago de Cirsus we craft wines using the highest quality level of production, known as “Denominación de Origen Vino de Pago”. The terrain, microclimate and grape varieties cultivated here provide our wines’ distinct character, setting us apart from others wineries. The production of Pago de Cirsus wines begins with grapes from our vineyard. The Estate also counts with state-of-the-art facilities for on-site production and bottling, allowing for a seamless process and preserving the very essence that makes our raw materials unique.
The Winery is located in the Estate’s highest point, from where much of the vineyard can be seen. The underground cellar allows for stable temperature and humidity levels throughout the year.
The harvest begins between late August and early September. The white grape varieties are the first to be harvested. They are harvested at night, when temperatures are cooler and within the cover of night; to avoid these delicate grapes from losing their qualities and rusting with daylight. To determine the optimum harvest date, we perform continuous maturation controls. The vineyard is divided into parcels, allowing for each parcel to be harvested at its ideal state of maturity and processed separately. For this we have two processes:
Nave de Tinas is where the higher-end wines are produced. A selection of the best grapes, hand-picked during the harvest is brought here in small boxes. These grapes are stored in a cold-room for pre-maceration for 24 hours, after which they are taken to a sorting table. Those clusters that do not meet required quality parameters are eliminated. The pulp is then transferred to 7 French oak barrels: two 5,000-litre oaks and five 8,000-litre oaks. Inside each oak is a coil through which cold water circulates, maintaining the desired temperature for fermentation.
During fermentation, regular pump-over and occasional delestage take place to facilitate the extraction of the rich components found in the grape skins. After fermentation, only the wine drained by gravity will become part of the coupages of our higher-end wines, which is then transferred into French oak barrels where the second fermentation, also known as malolactic fermentation, takes place.
The Development Area is equipped with the best technology to produce quality wines. It also has a cold exchanger that lowers the temperature to 7-8 °C where the pulp circulates for approximately 72 hours. Once this time has elapsed, the temperature rises naturally and fermentation begins. The stainless steel tanks are equipped with an automatic temperature controlling system, as well as programmable pumping during the day and night allowing for greater extraction of color and aromas.
The area of oak aging is semi-buried in the mountain. Its darkness, temperature and humidity is ideal for the rest phase and the evolution of the wine inside the oaks. Both the grapes and the oaks must pass through rigorous selection criteria. Of the 700 oaks in the Oak Room, about 90% are made of French oak and the remaining 10% of American oak with variable degrees of toasted oak depending on the result desired. The oaks have a maximum age of three years, this way we ensure we get the quality our grapes require. The aging of our wines takes a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 18 months.
Adjacent to the Oak Room is the Bottling Room, a climate-controlled area where the bottles lie horizontally for proper development. It is during this part of the process that all the work done on the field and the cellar comes together.
Our winery has 55 stainless steel tanks of varying sizes, and 7 French oak vats with a capacity to yield a total of 1.3 million liters of wine.
Attention to detail in decision-making factors, from the selection of the land for the vineyard, the grape varieties and harvest time, to the aging and production methods, have provided a distinct character and personality to our wines, earning us national and international recognition as one of Spain’s best Vinos de Pago.
Clasification System of Wines in Spain - Vino de Pago being the Highest
There are no winery pictures listed.
Bodega Pago de Cirsus SL, has a team of winemakers led by Jean Marc Sauboua. Mr. Sauboua was born in Bordeaux (France). He was a winemaker at Château Haut-Brion in Bordeaux, a large and mythical French Winery, considered one of the ten best wineries in the world. He was part of the first "Flying Winemaker" since 1993, an exclusive club of explorers in search of good wine in the world. Currently a winemaker and consultant in 7 different countries (Chile, Australia, France, Italy, New Zealand, Moldova and Spain) and has been in the cellar of Pago de Cirsus since 2003.
There are no importers listed.