Cillar De Silos

Feature : Ribera del Duero

Cillar De Silos

The Aragón family has been making premium quality wines in Ribera del Duero since the 1990s. Oscar Aragón Garcia and his brother Roberto also own Domino de Pidio wines. They predominantly sell their food-friendly wines to restaurants. When COVID-19 lockdowns went into place, and restaurants closed, it impacted their business hard. Fortunately, they could receive assistance through a special COVID relief fund and focus on their wines during dark and uncertain times.

We met Oscar and his assistant Paula at the winery office and tasting room. They asked our driver to follow them a short distance to the entrance to the underground cellars of Cillar De Silos. The cellars date back to the end of the 16th century. The natural humidity and temperature conditions (between 11, 5º, and 12º C) are consistent throughout the year and ideal for optimum wine aging.

Cillar De Silos acquired several adjacent ancient cellars and connected them with new construction ending with an overall more extensive cellar. Over the years, I have visited many underground cellars around the world. This one was much more expansive than most. I was told that the winery offers consumer and trade tours of the cellars.

After taking time-lapse photos of the cellar interiors, we packed up and returned to the tasting room for an above-ground wine tasting.

Wines Tasted:

Cillar de Silos Torresilo 2019 ***** $60 100% Tempranillo from unique terroirs, vineyard ages from 40 to 100 years old, located at 870 meters altitude. The wine is aged 16 to 18 months in French oak barrels. Dark ruby color. Aromas of red fruit and cherry. Flavors of vibrant cherry and plum. Thirty thousand bottles were produced.

Cillar de Silos La Vina de Amalio 2019 ***** $60

This wine is dedicated to the winery founder Amalio. 100% Tempranillo from vineyards planted in 1964, located at an altitude of 870 meters. Deep garnet color. Aromas of bright red fruit, cherry, and licorice. Flavors of juicy, fleshy, blackberry, and plum. Amazing tannins and finish. Three to four thousand bottles were produced.

Cillar De Silos

https://www.cillardesilos.es/

We met winemaker/ owner Oscar Aragón at Cillar De Silos, a unique winery with ancient underground cellars. Cillar de Silos is a tribute to the monk who was historically in charge of the stewardship at the Silos Monastery, known as the Cillero.