France

Cabernet Sauvignon

Merlot

Cabernet Franc

Petit Verdot

Malbec

Ch. d'Issan

Chateau d'Issan 3eme Cru Classe Margaux

Bordeaux

Margaux

The 2023 d'Issan is deep garnet-purple in color. Quite closed to start off, it requires a lot of shaking to wake up scents of creme de cassis, plum preserves, and juicy strawberries followed by nuances of menthol, fallen leaves, dried lavender, and Indian spices. The medium-bodied palate is chock full of expressive black and red berry flavors with loads of spicy accents and a fine-grained texture, finishing with a floral lift. The blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 2.5% Cabernet Franc, and 2.5% Petit Verdot, aging in 50% new oak, with pH 3.66.

by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

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.

Inside Bordeaux

Deep garnet-purple colored. Leaps with bold notes of black and red cherries and cassis, giving way to hints of iris, tapenade, and mint tea. The light-bodied palate is delicately styled with compelling freshness and silky tannins, finishing on a lingering red berry note.

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot, with a yield of 30 hl/ha and aging in 50% new oak, d’Issan 2022 has a pH of 3.67 and a TPI of 72. It is deep garnet-purple in color and comes bounding out of the glass with exuberant notes of crème de cassis, baked blackberries, and plum preserves, plus suggestions of tilled soil, clove oil, candied violets, and charcoal. The full-bodied palate has a firm structure of wonderfully ripe, fine-grained tannins and lovely tension supporting the dense, muscular black fruits, with a long finish and loads of floral and mineral sparks. Beautiful!

Amatør

A successful wine that has lived up to En Primeur promise. The emphasis remains on texture and depth, velvety tannins, perfumed violets, rose and raspberry leaf aromatics, slate, crushed rocks, serious at first then softening to show raspberry puree and smoked blackcurrant fruits. Cocoa dusting on the finish and clear spice, a little austere right now. The terroirs of the newly-purchased Château Pontac Lynch are in this Issan vintage, meaning the blend uses five grape varieties for first time. Not easy to add these distinctive varieties while maintaining the elegant, finessed style of this estate, but it works. 50% new oak, 38hl/h yield.

The 2019 d’Issan has a deep garnet-purple color. It features notes of redcurrant jelly, kirsch, and cassis, with nuances of tobacco leaf and cedar. The medium-bodied palate is chewy and refreshing, with soft-spoken fruit and an earthy finish.

The 2018 d’Issan has a deep garnet purple color. It offers nice, pure notions of blackcurrant pastilles, ripe blackberries, and redcurrant jelly, with hints of dried herbs and tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has vibrant fruit and soft tannins with plenty of freshness, finishing with an herbal lift. 

A classically balanced and understated Issan, beautifully poised and almost ready to begin drinking - certainly with a good carafe. Expect savoury blueberry and redcurrant fruits, grilled earth with pomegranate, sage, white pepper, cigar box and peony aromatics. Sappy with fine tannins. 43hl/h yield, 50% new oak for ageing, Emmanuel Cruse owner.

Amateur

Dyp rød farge. Plomme, mørke bær, krydder, fiken og lær på duft og smak Konsentrert og balansert ettersmak med mørke bær.

Sommelier

You are immediately captured by the aromatics of this wine, such gorgeous complexity on display, layers of fern, heather, sage, white pepper, gun smoke. Taut tannins still at 6 years old, with nuanced, balanced, juicy and powerful cassis and bilberry fruits. No need to rush because this will age, but there is so much to enjoy here.

The 2013 d’Issan has a medium garnet color, with a touch of brick. It tumbles out with notes of herb-laced cherry preserves, plus wafts of graphite, cough medicine, and tree bark. The medium-bodied palate is refreshing and mineral, with an herbal lift on the finish.

A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot, the 2012 d'Issan is deep garnet colored. Warm plums, black cherries, and mulberries leap from the glass with suggestions of bay leaves, graphite, and dusty earth in the undercurrent. The medium-bodied palate is laden with savory and earthy layers, framed by chewy tannins and finishing on a stewed black tea note.

Excellent quality, totally maintains the character difference between the 2009 and 2010 vintages while delivering excellent in each one. Silky tannins, beautiful spice, chocolate, espresso, smoked caramel, and this will stay on this plateau for decades, just totally classy and easy to recommend. 50% new oak for ageing, 42hl/h yield. Harvest September 27 to October 14. Last time I tasted this, two years ago, it was nowhere near as open as it is today, and this is an upscore.

Beautiful aromatics on the nose, with deftly extracted blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, sandalwood, cedar, cocoa bean and espresso notes that are well integrated but still providing a caressing gourmet kick. Lovely sage and cloves, precisely carved tannic frame that has just enough austerity to suggest it remains on the edge of its drinking window, with many years ahead. 50% new oak, 35hl/ha yield.

Ruby red. Delicate nose with blackberries, blueberries, terracotta, starting leather and some spice. Fresh acidity. In the mouth cherries, blueberries and some toast. Nice structure with tannins that are starting to integrated. Long.

Drink from now until 2035.

The 2008 vintage in Bordeaux was off to a rocky start. Poor conditions with lots of rain, hail, rot and reduced yields. At the end of the long season the weather conditions were good saving it. While the vintage as a whole is below average it is still an ok to good vintage. It also means that it does not need as many years in the cellar as the better vintages. If you have some 2008 they should be ready to start tasting now. All depending on the Château naturally.

Expert

Good depth of ruby red colour, and every time I drink this wine it blows me away with how good it is. Extremely controlled, savoury, soy, tobacco, saline crackers, smoked earth, blackberry and loganberry fruit, so much texure, and a tickle of eucaplyptus on the finish. Classy and balanced, with juicy signoff that stretches out through the palate. Bloody great wine, one to celebrate. Has tertiary aromas coming in, but you welcome them for the added complexity that they bring. 42hl/h yield.

Delicate but clear tannic struture, textured blackberry and raspberry fruits, concentrated with touches of tobacco, saffron and espresso. This has structure and depth. The 1995 is more graceful today and I would suggest saving this for another five years time, or give it a good few hours in a carafe. 36hl/h yield (after frost in one plot largely used for the 2nd wine), 50% new oak. A wet spring with lots of rain in this vintage (in some ways similar to 2016 and 2018) but an exceptional Indian summer with harvest from September 25 to October 11.

På helt perfekt sted nå. Strukturen er slipt ned og tanninene er bløte. Masse mørk og fyldig frukt med solbær og modne kirsebær. Bra syre og fortsatt en friskhet i frukten. Fersk jord, høstløv, bark, tobakk, mørk sjokolade. 

Smoky nose, Merlot-dominant supple red fruits, sculpted floral aromatics, signature Margaux in feel. The tannins are totally melted but still offering structure, with fresh acidities running between them and breathing life into tobacco, leather, and mint leaf finish. Technical director Eric Pelong at this point, Jacques Boissenot consutant. This was two years after Blason d'Issan was introduced for the young vines, ensuring greater selection for the main estate wine, plus the renovation of the draining system in the Clos was beginning to make an impact. 40hl/h yield. Harvest September 14 to October 2, 35% new oak. This is excellent in bottle, but if you can find a magnum you'll be even better rewarded.

WSET 2

1989 årgang kjøpt til min 1989 årgang samboer fra Blomqvist. 

Holder kanon godt enda med god syre og en del solbær. Kanskje noe rød frukt og. Ellers noe tørket frukt, eik, sigarboks og noe jordlig/sopp.

Ser årene i en brunlig cola aktig farge. 

Kanon vin 

Drukket til dåhjortindrefilet med sellerirotpuré og kantarellstuing

Rosebud, earth and truffle character, tertiary character to the softened redcurrant and raspberry fruits. Light in structure with fine tannins but also juicy and saline with soy, oyster shell. There will inevitably be bottle variation (not least because the corks were not all the same size and shape at the time), and this has considerable sedmiment. It's ready to drink unquestionably, but I know these wines can surprise with their ageabilty, and this bottle showed itself to be a brilliant match for food. This was a vintage where the Margaux appellation was seen to do better than the nortern Médoc (much as it had done in 1983 compared to 1982), and if you get lucky as I have done here, this is a beautiful bottle of wine. Harvest September 25 to October 12, all grapes from the Clos.

Medium til lys rød med en orangebrun kant. Litt engstelig ved åpning da jeg måtte kjempe med en 95% gjennomtrukket kork, men ved god hjelp av durand kom den ut hel og ved applaus fra fruen. På nesen åpner det stillferdig og litt spinkelt, strammer seg opp med luft på flaske og etter en times tid er alle revene satt i seilet. Nesen oser av bringebær, solbærblader, varme jordtoner, og et snev av ekalyptus og cedertre. Medium syre, perfekt balanse med en overraskende tilstedeværende frukt som jeg aldri hadde gjettet på 40 år på. Medium++ konsentrasjon med en fin kompleksitet som er drevet fram av frukten og en salinitet. Tanninene har ennå et litt bitt men bare nok til å bidra til en nydelig struktur og og en ørliten bittertone mot stilk. Salinitet og lett saliverende utgang dominert av frukt.

Category	Red wine
Vinmonopolet no.
Producer	Ch. d'Issan
Vintages	2023
Country	France, Bordeaux, Margaux
Bottle	75 cl

Alcohol	%
Acid	%
Sugar	g/l

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Wholesaler
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