CHÂTEAU D'ISSAN

2018 3ème Cru Classé Margaux

EN PRIMEUR

60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot with 50% new wood. Like the Blason this has a really fragrant nose of red and black fruit with a palpable sense of freshness. It's not the most densely structured or concentrated of Margaux in 2018 but it's not lightweight either. The tannins are just super-fine and perfectly integrated. There's also a clean line of acidity running right through the middle of the wine - something that's not always easy to find in this vintage. It's one of the reasons this feels so energetic and full of 'juice'. We loved the finesse of this d'Issan. It's a wine that will greatly appeal to classicists in a modern Bordeaux vintage. Drinking range: 2030 - 2050L&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 Château d’Issan offers fragrant blackberry, cedar and light peppermint scents on a nose that gently unfolds with aeration. This is charming and precise. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit and fine intensity. A dusting of dark chocolate appears toward the finish, which needs some time to fully cohere; cellar it for 4–6 years. A very capable Margaux that should develop well in bottle. Drinking range: 2024 - 2045 Rating: 92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)

The 2018 d'Issan is a potent, backward wine that is going to need a number of years to come into its own. Dark and brooding, with serious intensity, the 2018 shows off real depth in its blue/purplish fruit, chocolate, spice, smoke and leather flavors. The tannins are imposing today, but, then again, everything about the 2018 feels large in scale. I can't wait to see how the 2018 ages. Drinking range: 2026 - 2043 Rating: 94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)

Aromas of blackberry, plum, cocoa, iodine, clove and graphite. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, silky tannins. Tightly wound and mineral at the moment, with dusty gravel and graphite notes, yet with focus and precision. Such balance and harmony for the vintage. Try from 2025. Rating: 96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)

I was only able to taste the 2018 Château d'Issan once, but it showed beautifully, with a full-bodied, plump, sexy style as well as classic notes of cassis, fresh plums, licorice, and high-class cigar tobacco. Based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot that will see 18 months in 50% new oak, from a scant 53% selection of the total production, it’s a brilliant, incredibly sexy Margaux that’s already hard to resist, yet will keep for 2-3 decades. Rating: 93-95 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (May 2019)

Deep core and cherry rim, not quite as black-hearted as most Bordeaux 2018s. Intense ripe cassis that is pure Cabernet. Nicely savoury too. Chewy and quite oaky on the palate, the tannins thickened by the oak but very smooth. Dense and still fresh. Very good. Drinking range: 2025 - 2035 Rating: 17 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)

The 2018 D'Issan is composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, aging in 50% new and 50% second year barrels for an estimated 18 months. With 13.97% alcohol and a deep garnet-purple color, it features baked berries, warm cherries and cassis with spice box and fragrant earth plus tea hints. Medium to full-bodied, it has a great core of muscular fruit with firm, fine-grained tannins, with nice freshness, finishing layered with mineral notions Rating: 94-96 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)

The cashmere texture of the tannins is wonderful in this. They are ripe and precise. Dense at the same time, giving a slow drive and a long finish. Full-bodied with dark and pretty fruit. Persistent finish. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)

The grand vin is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, picked between October 3rd and 11th, and 40% Merlot, picked between September 24th and October 2nd, with 13.97% alcohol and a pH which comes in at 3.78. It takes 53% of the crop. The nose is filled with very purely expressed black cherry, blackcurrant and currant fruits, with a chalk-dust and rose-petal perfume; this is a wine that exemplifies the classic Margaux elegance for sure. The palate shows a corresponding purity, with a bright and lifted character, the main appeal here being the midpalate's bright, sinewy, taut and energetic character, which supports a beautiful bed of chalky perfumed fruit, like that on the nose. There is plenty of tannic grip here, but it is totally integrated within the wine, balanced, ripe and tightly knit. It shows only a little flourish of confidence at the end, where it finishes long and substantial. Top work here. The élevage will be in 55% new barrels. 94-96/100 Rating: 94-96 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)

This is a vibrant ruby colour, with floral aromatics that are even more evident on the nose here than with the second wine, Blason. This is not always the case during En Primeur tastings, when it's the second wines that tend to be a little more open, but it's a feature of the 2018 vintage. This is a brilliant Issan with richness and poise joined by a delicate acidity that pulls the fruit along. The tannins are deceptive, as they are supple and appealing, but the density and power builds over the palate and clearly indicates long ageing. A wine that feels like it's rooted in its appellation. 50% new oak. 40hl/ha yield, with 53% of production going into this wine, higher than in both 2017 and 2016. Eric Boissenot consults. Drinking range: 2027 - 2042 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)

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 2022 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2025. 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 2025. 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.