A couple of Margaux appellation beauties.

[JimHow]

So I had a big day in court this week and decided I was going to uncork something "special," I went with the 2012 Rauzan Segla.

Nicola, I think I'm holding a bottle of this for you down in my cellar, don't worry, I didn't drink your bottle, I had one of my own.

2012 Rauzan Segla
I've had a couple 2012s recently from the right bank and have found them compelling.
This wine from Margaux was very tannic and grudging at the outset.
My immediate concern, of course: Uncorked too prematurely, too young.
Certainly everything on the nose, the color, spoke of a youthful effort.
If you just looked at this wine visually, you would not be able to tell whether it was out of the barrel or a decade old.
But... ah, like a true Bordeaux, this heretofore tannic specimen evolved into a floral, complex, beautiful Margaux.
A beautiful wine, Nicola, I'd hold it for TWO blanquitos, it is still very youthful, I have none of these bottles left but let's drink yours when you come down to Old Orchard Beach with MC and the kids in, oh, another decade or so, let's say, 2032 or so.
Rating 94 points.

2016 Siran
Wow! This wine has mellowed since I had it last year.
Are you factoring in price? Because if you are, this is a substantial QPR.
When I drank this wine last year I was a little concerned that I had misread its early promise.
It was awkward, gawky, adolescent.
But, of course, that should in no way be surprising.
This wine is a very, very beautiful Margaux food wine, big, tannic, fruity, bold, but has definitely "settled down."
Wow, I loved this wine, it may even be better than the '15.
This wine will survive many blanquitoes. Love it.
Rating: 93 points.

[Racer Chris]

I'm a fan of both those wines Jim. I too was surprised at how open they were at this stage.
Glad I bought a 6 pack of the R-S and have 5 left.
I only bought 3 of the '16 Siran and now the price is up around 20% over what I paid. I suppose at $40 it is still a relatively good deal, especially considering that I haven't been that impressed with any of the 2018 wines I've sampled.

[OrlandoRobert]

I love how Jimbo is always killin babies seals!

No patience . . . .

[jckba]

Thanks for the note on the RS as I have a loose 6 btls I have yet to broach.

[William P]

I have both in the cellar and I look forward to drinking them. The RS was a beautiful wine on release, finely structured and balanced with wonderful Margaux fruit. However, when I last drank a bottle about four months ago it was closed. Little fruit was showing, tannins somewhat aggressive and took more than a few hours to finally open. So I would let RS have a long rest.

We agree on the Siran, an unbelievable QPR. Wines like Siran are the foundation of my new Bordeaux purchasing strategy. I'm buying wines that speak Bordeaux, that will be accessible between two and five years and are good quality for the price. I find many 14s, 15s and 16s fit the bill.

[Comte Flaneur]

I am a big fan of 2012 Rauzan-Segla…but in my experience it closed down, like Cantemerle. Still a fan of the vintage. The goodness of the 2012 vintage was a theme of our 2015 tour.

[JimHow]

Indeed, the 2012 Rauzan-Segla was strikingly more closed than the right bankers I've tried recently from the same vintage, like Canon, Beau-Sejour Becot, and Larcis Ducasse. Despite its pretty fierce tannins, the RS is clearly an outstanding wine, it just needs another decade or so.... although, it did begin to open up as the night went along.

[AKR]

A good overview of Siran for those interested

https://vinous.com/articles/chateau-sir ... 8-jun-2020

[Nicklasss]

94 points, not bad at all.

You can drink mine of you wish Jim, for alm the bottles you shared with me in the last what... 20 years! As long as you keep my 2 bottles of modernly made 2005 Chateau Destieux...

Rauzan Ségla is a Margaux that age at glacial (or snail?) pace. Remember that glorious 1990 i brought in 2017 convention (i think?) that was still at the beginning of it's plateau

[Racer Chris]

I saw a note for this from a new Cellartracker friend who actually lives less than 10 miles from me. So I decided to pop my second one.

• 2016 Château Siran - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux (3/29/2022)
  PnP. Drank over two evenings. This reminded me of a bottle of 2014 Leoville Barton opened several years ago. Somewhat backwards, minimal oak signature, same dark fruit profile, hidden complexity. Although this is a bit more open, with more fruit showing at this stage, the same thought about L-B occurred to me both nights. (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

[marcs]

The RAuzan Segla needs another ten years? So 2012s won’t be ready for two decades from the vintage date? Were “off vintages” like this in the old days? Makes me wonder how long 2014/15/16 will take to come around (I think of 2014 as a more tannic vintage than 2012)

Can’t say I mind too much on the RS though, have four bottles of this obtained for a very reasonable price and it’s my sons birth year

[marcs]

We agree on the Siran, an unbelievable QPR. Wines like Siran are the foundation of my new Bordeaux purchasing strategy. I'm buying wines that speak Bordeaux, that will be accessible between two and five years and are good quality for the price. I find many 14s, 15s and 16s fit the bill.

I think Bordeaux is the best red wine QPR region in the world and it’s not particularly close. Just so many good, ageable wines in the $25-40 range, with a variety of styles if you include the right bank

[Claudius2]

Marcs
Not sure I’d call 2012 a lesser vintage though clearly not one of the greats. I think Margaux did well in this vintage. I tried RS a few yrs ago and found it to be a full bodied, complex Margaux with lots of dark fruit, typical Margaux berries (always makes me think of a purple and black fruit compote) and some French oak.

Some other 2012 wines I’ve tried have been rather variable. The right bank was said to be better than the left though a tour thru Bordeaux in 2014 suggested the opposite to me. I found too many ordinary St Emilions for example.