2023, Château d'Issan, MARGAUX 3ème Grand Cru Classé

Last Year EP $112.00-

This 55 hectare Margaux property (3rd Growth 1855) is planted a majority Cabernet Sauvignon, with a good proportion of Merlot. Newly purchased plots containing old vines of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot have been added to the blend from 2020. The Cruse family brought in new investment in 2013 from M Lorenzetti. Housed in an ancient moated Chateau which is now used mainly for tasting visits and receptions.
2023 is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 2.5% Petit Verdot and 2.5% Cabernet Franc.

The purity of the fruit is really wonderful here, with blackcurrants, orange peel and raspberries. Aromatic. Full body, chewy tannins and a juicy finish. But it remains linear and vivid. The quality of the tannins and the powdery texture are really alluring. Silky. And so precise.
96-97 James Suckling

First time not to have Malbec in the main Issan wine since the purchase of the neighbouring estate Pontac Lynch in 2020.  Fine tannins, well balanced, inky and powerful but with oyster shell salinity. Chalky tannins with touch of En Primeur austerity, well constructed, full of cocoa bean, cassis, liquorice root, classical balance.
95 Jane Anson.

The 2023 D'Issan shows excellent potential, unfurling in the glass with aromas of dark berries, cassis, pen ink and white flowers, followed by a medium to full-bodied, velvety and enveloping palate that's rich, fleshy and charming, with lively acids, good depth at the core and a long, sapid finish.
93-95 William Kelley, Wine Advocate.

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. Drink 2033-2063.
93-95 Antonio Galloni.