CHÂTEAU D'ISSAN
2019 3ème Cru Classé Margaux
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)
* 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 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)
The bigger, more structured Margaux have closed down over ageing, as is the case here with Issan - less exuberant than during En Primeur, but showing concentration, controlled power and beautiful cassis and bilberry fruits. Skilful and deft weaving together of tannins and fresh acidities to cradle the fruit, with a voluptuous creamy mid palate as it opens. Impressive depths, decades of life ahead. 50% new oak, 45% of overall production. Harvest September 25 to October 11. Drinking range: 2028 - 2044 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jan 2022)
Fresh currants and raspberries pop out of the glass, together with oranges and cedar. Such purity of fruit in the nose. Full-bodied, yet so refined and vertical. It goes deep and long with tight, compressed tannins that are pure and exciting. Really tight and focused. Precise. Try after 2026. Drinking range: 2026 - Rating: 97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Jul 2021)
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 D'Issan soars out of the glass with expressive scents of baked red currants, warm cassis and black cherry compote with hints of powdered cinnamon, potpourri, Provence herbs and aniseed plus a waft of fallen leaves. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly played with bags of fresh, vibrant black and red berry flavors and a firm line of ripe, grainy tannins, finishing with an invigorating lift. Rating: 94-96 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Jun 2020)
The 2019 d'Issan has an intense bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, pencil lead and wilted iris scents that unfold gradually from the glass. The oak seems nicely integrated here. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy ripe tannins that provide quite a firm backbone. Mainly black fruit with hints of white pepper, sage and graphite, this is a tightly-wound d'Issan with impressive persistence on the classic pencil lead finish. Maybe a bit old school? There's nothing wrong with that if it is well crafted, like this. Tasted twice, one bottle showing a little more cohesion than the first. Drinking range: 2025 - 2055 Rating: 93-95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jun 2020)
The flagship 2019 Château D'Issan offers more elegance and purity, with terrific cassis, black cherry and blueberry fruits supported by lots of violet, chocolate, and gravelly minerality. Balanced and medium to full-bodied, it has a solid spice of acidity as well as the lush, sexy, seamless style of the vintage. It's straight-up classy juice that's going to have a broad drink window. Rating: 93-95+ Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Jun 2020)
A concentrated but graceful feel to this Issan, showcasing why it is one of the powerhouses of Margaux without necessarily flexing its muscles the most obviously. Takes a few moments to unroll on the palate but as it does it expands both forward and outwards, beautifully filling the mid palate with creamy brambly fruits and firm but flexible tannins. This inches open, suggesting it has an extremely long life ahead of it, and is close to the 2016 in expression, although not quite with the depth of expression of that exemplary vintage. 50% new oak, 3.7pH. 45% of overall production went into the 1st wine. Harvest from 25th September to 11th October. Drinking range: 2029 - 2045 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (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 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.