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CHÂTEAU D'ISSAN

2019 3ème Cru Classé Margaux

Grapes Merlot, Cab Sauv
Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Haut Médoc
Village Margaux
Classification 3ème Cru Classé
ABV 13%

70% Cabernet Sauvignon & 30% Merlot. This is another standout from our tasting of Margaux this year. A good, high Cabernet level means the real DNA of Issan is on show. We loved this in 2018 - but the 2019 just pips that in terms of clarity and lift. There are some good guts here. So discreetly firm that you barely notice what is holding together the deep and richly ripe black fruit. There is a sharp gloss to the cassis character and smart wood spice and violets too. A pleasing plumpness in the middle from the neatly ripened Cabernet. Lovely. This is serious. No hard edges but such purity - long and totally pleasing. L&S (Jun 2020)


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The 2019 Château d'Issan has a glorious Margaux bouquet with pressed violets fusing with the black fruit and crushed stone scents. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, fine delineation, taut and fresh, a pinch of black pepper towards the structured and detailed finish that lingers in the mouth. Superb. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. Drinking range: 2025 - 2045 Rating: 94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)

The 2019 d'Issan is a beautifully complex wine. The aromatics alone are beguiling, but that is just the beginning. Readers will find a powerful, layered Issan that is going to need at least a few years to start shedding some of its formidable tannin. Hints of dried rose petal, mint, blood orange, spice and star anise give the 2019 its gorgeous, beautifully lifted personality. Give this a few years, and watch what happens. Drinking range: 2029 - 2049 Rating: 95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)

The 2019 d'Issan was picked from September 25 to October 11 and matured in 50% new oak. This clearly has more dimension on the nose, offering well-defined blackberry and raspberry fruit; pencil shavings and undergrowth scents emerge with time. The harmonious palate is very well balanced, with pliant tannins, perfectly judged acidity, and an engaging build in the mouth. Yes, this has put on a bit of weight during its time in barrel, and it should give 30 to 40 years of drinking pleasure. Excellent. Drinking range: 2025 - 2055 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2022)

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.

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