Château d'Issan 2025

Violets and iris notes on the nose. Supple and succulent with a drop of sweet strawberries balanced against quite fresh blackcurrants, liquorice and cola. I love the texture – streamlined, focused, detailed, so smooth and sophisticated. Maybe a more dark profile than recent vintages but feels so well constructed with a firm frame and cool drive from start to finish. It has layers, this isn’t lacking in any power or muscle but it doesn’t have any heaviness or chew and in that respect it gives a lot of wine without much weight at all. Grippy, fun, interesting, captivating and so easy to drink. Potential upscore in bottle. 2% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc complete the blend. 3.63pH. A yield of 29hl/ha.

Black currants, cedar, tobacco, flowers, cherries, licorice, smoke, and cigar wrappers define the aromatic profile. Medium-bodied, lifted, sweet, vibrant, and elegant, the wine offers polish, finesse, refinement, and beautiful textures. The fruit is fresh, clean, and pure. The energy in the finish, with its layers of lush, polished fruit that stick with you, expanding and building in intensity, hits the spot.. The wine is made from a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, and 2% Petit Verdot. 13.73% ABV. Picking took place September 11 - September 23. Yields were 30 hectoliters per hectare. It is important to note that 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the Cruse family as owners of d'Issan. Drink from 2030-2060. 95-97 Pts

Vivid plum colours, as is so often the case in this vintage, and although this is a little less luscious right now than the Blason, it is packed with promise, and the austerity of a wine that is constructed with a future in mind. Rose buds, cassis, damson are fairly discreet at first, and then unroll in layers with slate, woodsmoke and cold ash. 3.63pH. Harvest September 11 to 23. 50% new oak.

D’Issan 2025 shows all the delicacy it is known for, revealing nuances of red and black berries along with spicy notes. On the palate, the wine sets the tone from the outset with a smooth, creamy attack. The tannins, like the bouquet, unfold slowly and reach the peak of their breadth on the finish, where they deliver their vigor with precision. They are ideally supported by an acidity that brings energy and freshness. A flavorful, delicate, powerful and harmonious wine! 95-97

Deep red colour with black highlights. An intense, fruity, profound nose. Full on the attack and immediately juicy, with real class through the mid-palate and masses of flavour, the wine stretches out and then builds on the finish. It concludes deep and noble, with an incredible ease of power. Bravo! The 2022 had already impressed me greatly; I consider this one slightly superior thanks to a more ascending, upward-driven palate profile. Blend: 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot. Alcohol: 13.73% - pH: 3.63 - IPT: 75 (the highest level ever seen here: 72 in 2022, 74 in 2018). Yield: 30 hl/ha. 12% press wine. Harvest dates: Merlot: 11–17/09 - Cabernet Sauvignon: 17–23/09 - Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec: 18 September.

Smoky bacon and violet over a rich blackcurrant fruit core; compact, dense attack on the palate, well-structured, with pronounced tannins coming from the grapes and the oak. The wine has breeding, becomes more focused and straighter through the mid-palate, lingers long, and finishes spicy and red-fruited. A successful Château d'Issan with good aging potential.