The terroir of a Grand Cru
It is said in Medoc land that the great estates look out over the Gironde. Château Siran belongs to this prestigious and closed caste of high-flying growths. Perched on a plateau of fine siliceous gravel, it is admirably exposed to the south of the Margaux appellation, a few meters from the estuary.
An ideal geology
In the heart of the Margaux appellation, surrounded by three Grands Crus Classés, the Siran vineyard is established on a ridge of fine siliceous gravel. It benefits from the topography of the Labarde plateau, with a gentle but nevertheless perceptible difference in height. This natural slope follows a gradient ranging from 4m to 13m and allows efficient drainage. This drainage is reinforced by the constitution of the subsoil.
Resulting from a Tertiary landslide, the Labarde plateau is part of a geological context dominated by the Quaternary era. It is characterised by the superficial fluvial and estuarine formations of the Garonne. Essentially made up of gravel, sand and pebbles, this filtering layer ensures good aeration of the soil. In addition, it regulates the water supply.
A favourable geography
Situated near the Gironde estuary, the Siran vineyard benefits from a temperate oceanic-type climate. An ideal climate for the vine favoured by its southernmost location in the Médoc. However, a climatic disturbance in the region has marked the last few years which has led to a succession of contrasting vintages, with late frosts, dry years and wetter years.
Thanks to the micro-climate of the Labarde plateau, the Siran vineyard has for the moment been spared the successive frosts that have hit the Bordeaux vineyards.
A new challenge
Global warming appears to be one of the major future problems that the Siran teams are trying to anticipate. In particular by the choice of new rootstocks more adapted to enable the vines to better resist to very hot summers.
The study of the vineyard’s soil parcels has allowed us to verify the viticultural and oenological potential of Siran’s terroir. It thus confirmed the planting choices made previously in order to optimize the replanting programme undertaken since 2007.
The results obtained for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 vintages are testaments to the excellent suitability of Siran’s grape varieties and terroir.
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