At last, signs that the 05s may be coming out to play - not before time! I tried these two together out of curiosity since they cost the same at release (22€). Both were decanted for four hours, which in fact was not nearly enough - and they were much better the second night.
Château Siran - Margaux - 2005
Quite a floral nose, with herbs and spices in the background. The attack had reasonably strong notes of red cherry, then the blackberry took over, followed initially by a very rich, rising seam of citrus fruits, slightly bitter. The tannins were still very present at first, albeit more in the background than a few years ago, but giving the wine a certain asperity which made it hard work on the first night.
By the second night, this had all changed for the better - the tannins had gone, along with the rather curious seam of citrus fruits that I have found in a lot of Bordeaux 2005s, to be replaced by some much more classic notes of dusty blackcurrant, giving the wine much better balance and Margaux typicity.
Ultimately, it was a mixed experience - quite promising, but it was overshadowed by the second wine:
Château Desmirail - Margaux - 2005
Another floral nose, but more intense, with clearer notes of blackberry and cedar. On the first night, much the same impressions as the Siran, with the same annoying citrus fruit seam, but on the second, a lot better: the attack had darker cherries at first than the Siran, but especially, a deeper and richer seam of blackcurrant, the blackberry was more clearly defined and the finish was longer, without losing any charm or elegance. Really quite enjoyable, unlike the bottle I had opened in April.
What I learnt from this is that long decanting is still necessary - these were two or three years from full maturity - but that at last, these wines are beginning to come good. The whiplash tannins are fading, but the rich and rather odd seam of citrus fruits needs a long decant to prevent it from obscuring the “normal” fruit in the background. But there is fruit there, which is a relief.
So overall, really quite encouraging.