Chateau Siran is a historic property in Medoc, France, set apart from its neighbours in the Margaux appellation by several factors, but sharing a common reputation for elegant, high-quality wines. It is one of the few Bordeaux wineries that had remained in the same family for 150 years, run today by Edouard Miailhe, who spends half the year over seeing the winery in Bordeaux and half the year in the Philippines. And although its surrounding neighbours all fell under the 1855 Classification, which ranked 61 chateaux in Medoc, Chateau Siran did not; its owners didn’t see the need for it to be entered at the time. In 2003, it was classified as one of the Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnel, one of the nice chateaux chosen out of 400 potential candidates. The winery produces both Margaux and Bordeaux Superieur wines, since 25 hectares of its vineyard fall under the Margaux appellation and 15 lie in the AOC Bordeaux Superieur area. Grapes are picked and sorted by hand. The flagship wine of the house is a Margaux known simply as Chateau Siran, made to walk that fine balance of power and elegance that the best Margaux wine typify. It’s a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc from 33-year-old vines; compared to other Margaux wines, this one has a higher percentage of Petit Verdot, giving it a spicy edge, and great ageing potential. At the private tasting held by the G8 – a group of wine-loving importers, distributors and F&B personalities who meet once a month for a blind tasting – the coverted 1998 vintage of this wine was served. According to the combined tasting note of the group, this was a ‘very drinkable, velvery, complex delight, which showed remarkable changes in the glass. It had integrated white pepper and capsicum, squishy blackberries and a hint of graphite on the nose, and a palate of black fruit compote and cherries. It had a weighty mid-palate, a hint of soy sauce and a rounded spiciness.’
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