Siran 2009

Potentially the best Siran I have ever tasted and another unqualified sleeper of the vintage, this dense purple wine displays notes of scorched embers, vanillin, black currants, spring flowers and graphite. Medium to full-bodied, with stunning concentration, purity, texture and length, the 2009 Siran has plenty of tannin lurking beneath its luxurious fruit. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 20+ years.

Margaux that is probably still about 24 months too young, but is so delicious... what the hell? Layers of blackberry and cedar fruit on the nose, wonderful balance and great depth, this 2009 is far superior to the vintages that I tasted throughout the 1990s and early noughties - kudos to proprietor Edouard Miailhe who has really turned it around.

Tasted at the Margaux UGC. A blend 48% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Petit Verdot with 13.7% alcohol. A typically very ripe bouquet from Siran that flirts with sur-maturite, although not to the extent that I had feared. Black cherries, iodine, bilberry, some "mulchy" aromas. The palate is medium-boded with firm, dry, slightly meaty tannins, robust towards the finish with notes of blackberry, boysenberry and a savoury finish. Moderate length. I just lacks a little finesse on the finish at the moment. Tasted March 2010.