My first ever visit to the hallowed vineyards of the Medoc was in the early 1980s, when I was 16 years old. It was to Château Siran with its dusky pink buildings just off the D2 Route de Châteaux. I remember ascending this simple road in this flat landscape with these wonderful châteaux that appeared in the middle of nowhere. The Medoc is the Mecca for wine lovers, even at the age of 16.
I remember thinking that the château was old and like a little village and had modern art which was quite a contrast. It had been in the same Bordeaux family, the Miailhe for generations – in fact they celebrate their 160th anniversary this year (though it did at some point belong to the Toulouse Lautrec family).
Although lying in the appellation of Margaux (one of the first you come to when you venture up north of Bordeaux) it was never classified in back in 1855 to become one of the world famous ‘Grand Cru Classé’. All its neighbours were (Preuré Lichine, Giscours and Dauzac) and so the prices of these Siran wines are not the same – though the ‘terroir’ (the unique soil) is very similar – and the wonderful silky smooth style that Margaux wines are known of around the world.
Revisiting it the other day some 30 years on, it has been recently revitalised by the most recent generation of the family – Edouard and Séverine who live in the property with their family and who you can easily bump into). The pink walls are still there but it feels lived in and cherished for its history of life within its walls.
Today you can also choose from some avant garde activities (escape room, quizzes) as well as a range of tastings and picnics even on its roof terrasse as the sun goes down.
It has always been one of the rare châteaux to be open for visits at the weekends …..but the most unusual discovery you find at Siran is the nuclear bunker wine cellar. Now you know where to head for when the siren sounds.
