Ciclón is the entry level bottling of Rufete from Cesar Ruiz?s Viñas Serranas winery. The wine is made from a mix of different vineyards in the Sierra de Salamanca Mountains, with the wine fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and then aged in a combination of older French casks and stainless steel tanks. The 2018 Ciclón comes in at a cool 12.5 percent octane and offers up a very pretty bouquet of dark berries, bitter cherry, stony soil tones, a touch of tree bark, discreet botanicals and a topnote of chicory. On the palate the wine is bright, fullish and intensely flavored, with fine transparency, moderate tannins and a long, complex and wellbalanced finish. This closes with a nice note of cherry skin bitterness that reminds me a touch of Emidio Pepe?s Montepulciano when it is young. This is a serious bottle in the making, which is quite drinkable today with a bit of air, but which will be even better with at least a few years in the cellar. 2020-2030+.    90+pts-View from the Cellar-John Gilman
Vivid red. Vibrant, spice- and herb-accented red fruit and floral aromas show sharp definition and a hint of smoky minerality. Juicy, focused and light on its feet, offering fresh red currant and bitter cherry flavors that turn sweeter with air. Sneaky tannins lend shape to the long, smooth finish, which echoes the red fruit and spice notes.  90pts-VINOUS