BLASON D'ISSAN
2019 Margaux Château d'Issan
This is a really beautiful, seductive wine with chocolate, walnuts, currants and some tobacco. Full-bodied, with a supple tannin texture and a flavorful finish. Succulent. Blend of 60% merlot and 40% cabernet sauvignon. Second wine of d’Issan. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2020)
* 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 2019 Blason d'Issan has a deep garnet-purple color and opens with scents of raspberry pie, warm plums and blackcurrant pastilles plus touches of garrique, tobacco leaf and dusty soil with a hint of bay leaves. Medium-bodied, the palate is refreshing with an approachable, soft texture, filling the mouth with crunchy red and black fruits, finishing with a lively herbal note. Rating: 88-90 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Jun 2020)
The 2019 Blason d'Issan has a fresh and tightly-wound bouquet at first, a little "strict" at present with hints of bell pepper behind the carapace of black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins. A juicy, fruit-packed Deuxième Vin, although missing some complexity on the finish. Give it a couple of years in bottle. Drinking range: 2023 - 2033 Rating: 86-88 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)
The 2019 Blason d'Issan, matured in 35% new oak, has opened up a little since I tasted it from barrel, though it does retain a sense of strictness. Bell-pepper-infused black fruit scents feature on the earthy nose. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy, Merlot-driven red fruit, gentle and caressing. Not a complex second wine, but lilting and quite accessible on the finish. Drinking range: 2023 - 2033 Rating: 87 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)
Reserved on the nose with good depth to the berry fruits. The tannins are angular at this point, but with time it opens to show blackberry and vanilla cream, with a smoked cedar edge. 35% new oak, 55% of production. Drinking range: 2024 - 2036 Rating: 90 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jan 2022)
The 2019 Blason d'Issan is a pretty, fruity second wine to drink over the next decade or so. Crème de cassis, licorice, grilled herbs, lavender and dark spices are front and center. This elegant, mid-weight Margaux is all class. Rating: 89-91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)
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 2023 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.