Chateau d'Issan 2021

Delicate nose, licorice, cherries, herbs, cassis. On the palate, slightly creamy, with the finest tannins; nothing is overpowering, showing elegance, freshness, and charm. A dancing Issan, built for medium-term aging.

The 2021 D'Issan offers attractive aromas of wild berries, violets, fresh mint and pencil shavings, followed by a medium- to full-bodied, polished and seamless palate that's layered and suave, with a pretty core of fruit framed by sweet, powdery tannins. This elegant, sensual wine will offer a broad drinking window.

Mint and flowers on the nose with delicate, fragrant black bramble fruit. Smooth and elegant, lifted by a lovely, balanced acidity—not sharp—everything very calm and delicate, yet with tannin texture that’s slightly grippy and softly chalky, giving frame and definition. It feels like they tread carefully here, not trying to overdo it. It’s not as ample or fleshy as some in Margaux, but what it lacks in heft it makes up for in finesse. Really easy to drink and enjoy, with gorgeous fragrance throughout, lovely raspberry and strawberry elements, and some black tea on the finish.

With aromas of red currants, ripe cherries, flowers and hints of nutmeg and salt, this medium-bodied red has a solid core of fruit with medium and ripe tannins that nicely frame the wine and give depth and energy. Lightly chewy and caressing at the end. 65% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 2% cabernet franc, 2% malbec and 1% petit verdot. Better to drink in two or three years, but best after 2027.

The 2021 d'Issan was matured in 50% new oak and bottled in June. This displays admirable vivacity on the nose, mainly red-fruited, with clove, a touch of mocha, and hints of pencil shavings emerging with time in the glass—well-defined and “correct.” The palate is pliant on entry with a slight creaminess to the texture. Showing red berry fruit, allspice, and hints of cinnamon and white pepper, it exerts a gentle grip with quite a persistent aftertaste. Just a bit short and light on the finish, it doesn’t have the finesse of the 2019 or 2020, but it has plenty of character and will drink after six or seven years.

Medium-bodied, elegant, refined and already focused on displaying its floral character, accompanied by its core of black raspberries, cherries, tobacco, cedar and spice. Forward, soft and vibrant, the wine serves up its sweet, energetic red berries with accents of spice, mint and just a touch of espresso on the backend. Produced from a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec. This is only the second vintage to include 5 Bordeaux varietals in the blend. Drink from 2024-2047.

Deep ruby garnet colour with purple reflections, subtle ochre reflections on the rim. Nuances of cassis and red cherries, subtle hints of nougat and tobacco, fine savoury notes. Medium body, subtle sweetness, some chocolate notes, fresh structure, mineral aftertaste, has some length and good ageing potential.

Redcurrants, red plums, smoked tobacco, and hints of iron, as well as some floral notes, all emerge from the 2021 Château D'Issan, a medium-bodied, pure, focused, elegant Margaux that shines in the vintage due to its balance and seamlessness. It's already up-front and accessible today yet should have 15 years or more of prime drinking. The blend of the 2021 is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, raised in 50% new oak.

Delicately structured, red-berried bouquet, cooled forest-fruit tea, fresh blackcurrant juice, lilac, and subtle graphite notes. On the taut palate, a somewhat austere texture with sandy extract, supportive minerality, a tightly knit tannin framework, and a muscular body. In the concentrated finish, the Margaux streamlines, with crushed small black berries and a crumbly astringency.

Carefully constructed, with precision and plenty of dark fruits, black tea and grilled spices, good quality; slate-like tannins suggest the structure for long ageing, although the austerity of En Primeur is still present. It softens to reveal a ripe fig character through the mid-palate and a juicy finish; skilful winemaking, understated but enjoyable. 50% new oak. Second year with all five of the major black grape varieties in the blend, and the Malbec and Petit Verdot make their presence felt.

The 2021 d’Issan is deep garnet-purple in color. It leaps from the glass with notes of kirsch, redcurrant jelly, and cassis, giving way to wafts of roses and fertile soil. Medium-bodied, the palate is plush, refreshing, and juicy, with a lovely fragrant earth note on the finish.

The nose is driven by delectable small red fruits, both fresh and stewed, with notes of redcurrant, strawberry, and even a more exotic touch of pomegranate. On the palate, acidity and sweetness come together—the yin and yang in perfect balance—carried by soft, silky tannins. A refined finish of freshly ground coffee.

Château d’Issan reveals itself with great focus, clearly pursuing precision and pure pleasure. It unfolds many nuances through ripe black berries complemented by sweet spices and licorice. Slender in style, the palate conveys this sense of precision with velvety, perfectly integrated tannins. They bring some breadth while the acid structure provides the framework. A polished, subtle and highly accomplished wine, even in a vintage as challenging as 2021.

(65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot) The nose is fruity, elegant and racy, offering fine grain and a certain racy power. It reveals notes of fairly ripe boysenberry, fresh blackcurrant and, more subtly, juicy/fresh red berries, with small touches of peony and pepper, as well as fine hints of bright cherry, mocha, toast, a discreet hint of graphite and an imperceptible hint of incense (in the background). The palate is fruity, with lovely fruit brightness, smoothness, freshness and a touch of fleshy richness. On the palate, this wine shows notes of pulpy/juicy raspberry, fleshy/juicy blackberry and, more subtly, fleshy cherry, combined with touches of lily, peony and plum blossom, as well as hints of racy/marly minerality, flint, chocolate/cocoa, and fine hints of toasted almond/fresh vanilla. Good length. A slight chew on the finish/persistence. The tannins are precise and supple. A good mid-palate and suppleness on the finish.

Dark, purple, and beautiful color. Very aromatic nose—refined, pure, and fruity. Delicate on the attack, precise through the mid-palate, with stylish flavor and that admirable touch of a great wine, this 2021 charms the palate and does not fade after the mid-palate. It finishes gracefully, with a lovely finale of ripe fruit, without roughness, without weakness. Superb. A great success of the vintage. Blend: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot. Alcohol: 13.18% – pH: 3.60 – IPT: 66. All the grapes that make up this wine come from the historical enclosure and the new plots acquired last year at Pontac Lynch. For the record, Issan has a lot of clay there. Harvest from September 30 to October 9.

An aromatic profile balanced between floral and pastry notes, not highly exuberant but with a pleasing classicism, unfolding a herbal and mentholated touch. The palate is taut, firm, and incisive, with a well-proportioned core and finely shaped tannins, set on a solid acidic backbone.