Sirius Red, AOC Bordeaux, 2016

TASTING NOTES

The product of a classic vintage, Sirius 2016 is a sustained garnet red with ruby and dark purple tints. Powerful from first sniff, it opens out to display a rich palate of red fruits, vanilla and spice with oasty notes. The meaty, beautifully round attack gives way to a superbly textured palate followed by an aftertaste which is just begging to unfold. The ripe tannins afford delicious balance and fine length without astringency to this blend. Drinking well from 2019, but can be laid down for several years. Without a doubt one of the flagship wines of the appellation.

AGEING

It will be enjoyed wonderfully from 2019 and offers a potential for aging for several years.

Blend

60% Merlot - 40% Cabernet Sauvignon

BOTTLING

Bottled for Maison Sichel

MEDALS & AWARDS

Gold medal - Concours Général Agricole - Paris 2018

Gold medal - Challenge International du Vin - Bourg et Blaye 2018

Gold medal - Concours Mondial des Féminalise 2018

1* - Guide Hachette 2019

Bronze medal - Concours de Bordeaux 2018

Bronze medal - Concours des Grands Vins de France - Mâcon 2018

Bronze medal - Decanter World Wine Awards 2020

OWNER/COMMUNE Maison Sichel / Canton de Saint Macaire

PITCH

The grapes are carefully selected before being fermented and aged in oak in exactly the same way as the Grands Crus Classés of Graves and Pessac-Léognan. Sirius Red is situated at the high end of the Bordeaux category and the emphasis is on balance, finesse and the mutually complementary aromas of the three Bordeaux grape varieties, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. A discreet, pared-down label for a modern chic, wine, equally ideal for trendy bistros or gourmet restaurants. Also exists in White and Rosé.

BACKGROUND

Created in 1985 by Peter Sichel to prove that it was possible to apply the same meticulous care and methods as for the Grands Crus Classés of Graves and Pessac-Léognan to less prestigious terroirs to obtain a fine, fruity, rounded and complex wine at an affordable price. Peter Sichel chose to illustrate the label with the Dog Star, Sirius, after the brightest star in the solar system.

SURFACE Red: 150ha

AVERAGE AGE OF VINES 30 years

GRAPE VARIETIES Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc

TERROIR

The vineyards, on mainly clay-limestone soils, are located along the banks of the Garonne river.

WINEMAKING/MATURING

The majority of the grapes are vinified in the traditional Bordeaux way: the bunches are totally de-stemmed and the grapes fermented, in vat, at between 27 and 32oC to extract colour and tannins. There follows a period of vatting (15-21 days) to give the wines their characteristic Bordeaux structure and the potential to age well. To maximize the fruit, however, the remaining proportion of grapes undergoes carbonic maceration. Once the different vats are blended, Sirius is aged in French oak barriques for 12 months.