Chateau Issan 2018
SKU
INMX201810 UCAU
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Jeb Dunnuck: 93/100"It’s a brilliant, incredibly sexy Margaux that’s already hard to resist."
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Decanter: 96/100 "A wine that feels like it's rooted in its appellation."
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Lisa Perrotti-Brown: 94/100 "A great core of muscular fruit."
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1 or more bottles$159.60
Editors notes
I was only able to taste the 2018 Château d'Issan once, but it showed beautifully, with a full-bodied, plump, sexy style as well as classic notes of cassis, fresh plums, licorice, and high-class cigar tobacco. Based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot that will see 18 months in 50% new oak, from a scant 53% selection of the total production, it’s a brilliant, incredibly sexy Margaux that’s already hard to resist, yet will keep for 2-3 decades.
- Jeb Dunnuck
Details
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Wine Type
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Vintage
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Variety
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Brand
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Location
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Cellaring
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Closure
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Alcohol Percentage
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Bottle Size
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Oak Type
Tasting Profile
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Light (Light)Full (Full)
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Low Tannin (Low Tannin)Tannic (Tannic)
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Sweet (Sweet)Dry (Dry)
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Low Acidity (Low Acidity)High Acidity (High Acidity)
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Aroma
- Blueberry
- Boysenberry
- Herbal
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Palate
- Blue Fruits
- Cassis
- Graphite
Food Pairings
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Pork -
Red Meat
Critic Scores & reviews
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Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
94"The 2018 D'Issan is composed of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, aging in 50% new and 50% second year barrels for an estimated 18 months. With 13.97% alcohol and a deep garnet-purple color, it features baked berries, warm cherries and cassis with spice box and fragrant earth plus tea hints. Medium to full-bodied, it has a great core of muscular fruit with firm, fine-grained tannins, with nice freshness, finishing layered with mineral notions."
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Decanter
96"This is a vibrant ruby colour, with floral aromatics that are even more evident on the nose here than with the second wine, Blason. This is not always the case during En Primeur tastings, when it's the second wines that tend to be a little more open, but it's a feature of the 2018 vintage. This is a brilliant Issan with richness and poise joined by a delicate acidity that pulls the fruit along. The tannins are deceptive, as they are supple and appealing, but the density and power builds over the palate and clearly indicates long ageing. A wine that feels like it's rooted in its appellation."
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Jeb Dunnuck
93"I was only able to taste the 2018 Château d'Issan once, but it showed beautifully, with a full-bodied, plump, sexy style as well as classic notes of cassis, fresh plums, licorice, and high-class cigar tobacco. Based on 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot that will see 18 months in 50% new oak, from a scant 53% selection of the total production, it’s a brilliant, incredibly sexy Margaux that’s already hard to resist, yet will keep for 2-3 decades."
Other vintages
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Locations
France
Wine is being produced throughout France and has been done for over 2,500 years with certain Châteaux dating their history back to Roman times, around 6th Century BC. Ranking second in the world in per-capita consumption and first in total production quantity. More so than the overall quantity of wine is the quantity of truly great wines coming out of France makes the nation the envy of wine-making nations worldwide.
Two concepts pivotal to the higher end French wines, in particular, are the idea of 'terroir' and the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system. Terroir refers to the way the geography, geology and climate find their way into the glass, telling a story of the origin of the wine. The AOC was set up in 1935 and has the primary goal of protecting the authenticity of the wines and the livelihoods of the producers. Appellation rules strictly define which varieties of grapes and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France's several hundred geographically defined appellations, which can cover entire regions, individual villages or in some cases, like in Burgundy even specific vineyards.
Classic wine regions in France include Champagne (home of Champagne), Burgundy (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot), Alsace (Aromatic varietals), Loire Valley (Chenin Blanc, Crémant) and the Rhône Valley (Syrah, Grenache Mourvedre)
The Bordeaux classification of 1855 is still in use, as is the Sauternes and Barsac Classification of the same year. Wines from certain regions can be bought En Primeur, which is when the wine is sold prior to it being bottled.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux has a rich history of winemaking, dating back to the Roman times. Today, it is known as one of the most significant wine regions in the world, with a reputation for producing complex, full-bodied red wines. The region is home to a diverse range of terroirs, each with its own unique microclimate, soil composition, and grape varieties.
The left bank of Bordeaux is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives in the region's gravelly soils. These wines tend to be bold, tannic, and complex, with notes of blackcurrant, cedar, and tobacco. On the right bank, Merlot is king, producing wines that are softer and fruitier, with notes of plum, cherry, and chocolate.
Aside from the red blends, Bordeaux is also renowned for its sweet wines, particularly from the Sauternes and Barsac appellations. These wines are made using a unique process that involves botrytis, or "noble rot," which concentrates the sugars in the grapes, resulting in a lusciously sweet and complex wine.
Bordeaux's classification system has evolved over time, with some estates moving up or down the ranks depending on the quality of their wines. Today, the system includes five growths, with Premier Cru being the highest and Deuxièmes Crus being the second-highest. There is also a separate classification for the sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac, with Chateau d’Yquem holding the highest rank.
Overall, Bordeaux is a region that continues to captivate wine enthusiasts around the world with its rich history, diverse terroirs, and exceptional wines.
Saint-Estephe
Saint-Estèphe is a single-commune, red-wine-only appellation on the left bank of the Gironde estuary in the Haut-Médoc subregion of Bordeaux, France. It is the northernmost of the Left Bank Médoc communes (the other three being Pauillac, Saint-Julien, and Margaux), as well as the coolest, thanks to its nearness to the Atlantic Ocean. Roughly half of the plantings here are Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives on the area’s warm, gravelly soils. Merlot, planted on more clay soils, makes up the bulk of the remainder. Wines from Saint-Estèphe are typically full of character, with intense aromas and flavours of blackcurrant, green capsicum, and red plums, alongside cedar and vanilla notes from the influence of oak. They are generally medium to high in alcohol, have robust tannins (which can soften with years of bottle ageing), and are medium- to full-bodied.
About the brand Château d'Issan
hateau d’Issan is one of the oldest wine producing properties in the Medoc as well as in all of Bordeaux. In 1152, the wine produced by what we know of as Chateau d’Issan today, was served for the royal wedding between Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henri II.
At the time, the estate was known as Chateau Lamothe Cantenac. This makes what we know of today as Chateau d’Issan, one of the oldest estates in Bordeaux that has continually produced Bordeaux wine in the appellation.
In the late 1400’s the vineyards were known as belonging to Chateau Teobon. Jumping ahead a few centuries to the 17th century, the estate became the official possession of the d’Essenault family.
The name, d’Issan is based on an early phonetic spelling of d’Essenault. d’Essenualt was a member of Parliament, a knight and the owner of Chateau d’Issan. He began an extensive program of rebuilding, renovating and redesigning the property. Eventually he built a new castle next to the vineyard and continued his construction projects until the French Revolution.
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