2016 CHÂTEAU D'ISSAN 3ème Cru Classé Margaux, Lea & Sandeman

CHÂTEAU D'ISSAN

2023 3ème Cru Classé Margaux

Grapes Cab Sauv, Merlot
Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Haut Médoc
Village Margaux
Classification 3ème Cru Classé
ABV 14%

First time not to have Malbec in the main Issan wine since the purchase of the neighbouring estate Pontac Lynch in 2020. 50% new oak, 32hl/h yield. Fine tannins, well balanced, inky and powerful but with oyster shell salinity. Chalky tanins with touch of En Primeur asterity, well constructed, full of cocoa bean, cassis, liqourice root, classical balance. 30hl/h yield. Drinking range: 2032 - 2048 Rating: 95 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)


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The 2023 d’Issan is a powerful, dense wine, especially for a property where the wines tend to be more understated. A rich, muscular Margaux, the 2023 d'Issan exudes intensity in all of its dimensions. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2023 is going to need a number of years to shed some of its considerable baby fat. Dried herbs, tobacco, incense and bold, dark-toned fruit flow into the deep, resonant finish. Drinking range: 2033 - 2063 Rating: 93-95 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2024)

The grand vin is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 2.5% each Cabernet Franc and Malbec. This is not the highest proportion of Cabernet ever, but it comes close. This takes 50% of the crop in this vintage, from vines inside and outside the clos. A very impressive nose here, perfumed and fresh, with crushed chalk and currant fruits, with a fresh and defined sense of lift which feels immediately reminiscent of the 2016 vintage. The palate follows on in exactly the same vein, with supple and delicately creamed wild berry and griottes, with a supple texture and poise, and a fine grip. Beautiful linearity, seamless polish, texture and confidence, with a fine wrapping of ripe and tightly knit tannins. A fabulous d’Issan here, with freshness and longevity. One for the cellar. The alcohol is 13.83% on analysis. Rating: 94-96 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2024)

The 2023 d’Issan was picked from September 18 to October 2. It was cropped at 30hL/ha, lower than usual due to mildew pressure and less rain in August, causing hydric stress during the summer heat wave, especially in the Merlot vines. It was harvested a little later than the other cuvées to benefit from the Indian summer, September 20, and matured in 50% new oak. It has a very pure bouquet with black cherries, cassis and blueberry fruit, though I feel that other recent vintages have shown a touch more complexity. The palate is well balanced and cohesive with fine and quite edgy tannins. There is an impressive symmetry to this d'Issan with a very poised and quite persistent finish. It improves with aeration and all the time, the aromatics seem to muster more energy (hence, I raised my score). One to watch. Drinking range: 2028 - 2050 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2024)

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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