Happy New Year (a.k.a. what are you drinking?)

[phillysrt4]

Happy New Year everyone!

To celebrate I decided to splurge and pick up a bottle of Chateau Sivan Margaux 2005

http://www.chateausiran.com/act-en.5...eau_siran.html

For those of you who don't care about wine, you may now hit the "reply" button to post what you're drinking!

For wine lovers, my tasting notes semi-unedited and my progress as I finish the bottle through the day:

(My Scoring System: Appearance 1-10 with 6 being on the "like" side of the fence; Nose 1-20 with 11 being on the "like" side of the fence; Taste 1-20 with 11 being on the "like" side of the fence. A perfectly acceptable "table wine" could very well get a score of 6+11+11 = 28, so anything above 35 I would consider "very good" to "exceptional". Those who insist on the 100 point system, adding 50 to my total will get you roughly there.)

Opened bottle and let breathe for 30 minutes in the bottle. No decant.

Appearance
Ruby in the pour, dark crimson rim. Looking at it during the pour made me say "oh yeah! I can't wait to try this!" Luscious coming out of the bottle with a pleasant appearance making me look forward to smelling and tasting it. Score: 7/10

Nose
Initial scents of tobacco and a hint of cedar. Later revealed hints of oak and blackberries. Alcohol vapour that faded with repeated testing. Also a sense of "spiciness". "Woody" hints come from the glass after about 20 minutes. Second glass 45 minutes after first pour has some fade in the nose, but pleasant nonetheless. Score: 15/20

Taste
Cherries and spice! Complex, integrated structure with pronounced grape. Smooth, long finish that keeps consistency- taste composition holds very well through the finish. Fresh fruit that I cant quite identify (berries of some sort? strawberries?). The oak flavour really came through with some time in the glass- subtle but distinct and complements the other flavours well. The wine softened a bit after about 40 minutes in the glass, creating great mouthfeel and very smooth. A very pleasant evolution thus far!

Second glass 45 minutes after 1st pour: Dark berry fruit chorus has started to dominate but the cherries still like to play with only hints of oak now playing support. I really like this change and I'm looking forward to seeing how it evolves through the evening. Score: 17/20

Overall Score: 39/50 (IMO, worth buying at what I would guess to be around a $45-50 US street price and something I'll add to the collection to age a few more years.)

Additional Notes:
Had with beef roast. Provided a good counterpoint but did not integrate as well as I had hoped which I'll blame on the roast seasoning. ;)

This is my first foray into what I would consider a quality wine from the Margaux appellation. Siran's website says they go for a softer "feminine" feel to their wines. Compared to the 2003 Chateau Malleret (Haut Medoc appellation) I've had on several occasions, I see their point. In terms of taste and evolution without a doubt in my top 3 tasted. I only rate it a 17 on taste because I have to save room for that $800 Mouton Rothschild I'll eventually be able to afford ;)