BLASON D'ISSAN
2018 Margaux Château d'Issan
52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot aged in 35% new wood. This is all made from 'young' 18 year old vines inside the famous d'Issan Clos. There weren't many wines from Margaux in 2018 that have real freshness and crunch to the fruit, but this is definitely one. There's some lovely complexity too with blackcurrent, cranberry and damson all in the mix. It's certainly not the most concentrated 2018 but therein lies its beauty. It's a refined, glossy and hugely drinkable claret. Just a delicious Blason. Drinking range: 2024 - 2035L&S (Apr 2019)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2018 Blason d'Issan is a pretty rich, heady wine, just as it was in barrel. Dark-toned fruit, chocolate, leather and spice all flesh out in this juicy, flavorful second wine from Issan. Drink it over the next handful of years. Drinking range: 2021 - 2028 Rating: 90 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
Blackberry, blueberry, graphite, clove, tobacco and mahogany on the nose. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins. Very tight and refined with a mineral finish. Pretty finesse and focus. Second wine. Better from 2024. Rating: 94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Blason d'Issan is scented of earth, herbs, warm plums and cassis with tar hints. The palate is medium to full-bodied, firm and grainy with a lively backbone and savory finish. Rating: 88-90 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)
Very intense and tannic with a compact palate of blue fruit, such as blueberries. Full-bodied. Tight and powerful at the finish. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)
This second wine is a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon and 48% Merlot, picking dates as for the grand vin, with 13.86% alcohol and a pH of 3.76. It took 47% of the crop. It has a warm, welcoming and charming character, as is so often the case with Blason d'Issan these days, with some lightly perfumed and dusty fruit on the nose. The palate is beautifully polished and accessible, with a cool-fruit character, currant and blackcurrant skin, bright, savoury and taut, all wrapped up in a very tight, sinewy substance and energy. Fresh, cool and frankly delicious, this is a delightful second wine, with such ripe, tight and nicely polished tannins that while it has the structure to age well, this could probably be drunk very soon after bottling. The élevage will be in 35% new barrels. Rating: 91-93 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)
What a great second wine - heavy on the fruit aromatics, and with a striking richness through the palate. It's concentrated, though you almost don't realise it. The tannins - like so many in the Médoc in 2018 - are pretty supple, almost surprisingly so, and really cradle the brambly fruit even at this early stage. You feel, as you do in so many years here, that there's a true link in character between this and the grand vin. Harvest ran from 24 September to 11 October, giving a 40hl/ha yield with 47% of production going into the second wine. They managed to control the mildew through selective treatments, and their vineyard is in two big blocks so it's easier to get around. They are also keen to point out the hard work of new vineyard manager Olivier Challou, who has joined the estate from Ducru Beaucaillou. 35% new oak. 3.76pH. Drinking range: 2024 - 2037 Rating: 92 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)
Château d'Issan
Margaux Troisième cru 1855 When Pierre l'Essenault inherited what became Château d'Issan through his marriage in the mid-17th Century, he knocked down the old castle that stood on the site and built the present château. He also gave it its name, these days somewhat abridged. During the 18th Century, part of the estate was divided away and became today's Château Palmer. In 1945, Château d'Issan was bought by Emmanuel Cruse who bought a run-down estate, ravaged by Depression and War with only 2ha of working vineyard. The vineyards now occupy 53ha, planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot. Wines typically spend 18 months in wood. In 2013 Jacky Lorenzetti, who owns Lilian Ladouys, bought 50% of d'Issan to become co-owner with the Cruse family. Château d'Issan is among the fullest and richest Margaux's, a facet which sometimes in the past has suggested a lack of charm. Indeed, the Cruse family's care and attention to d'Issan has taken many years to bear fruit, with the wines only returning to top-flight quality in the latter years of the 20th Century. They are now among the better wines in the appellation and well worth their 3rd Growth status. There is a second wine at Château d'Issan called Blason d'Issan. Château d'Issan also includes some vines which fall outside the Margaux appellation - Château de Candale, Haut-Médoc and Moulin d'Issan, Bordeaux Supérieur.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2024 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.