Issan - Margaux 2019

Jamessuckling.com

97

byJames Sucklingthe5/5/2022

Fresh currants and raspberries pop out of the glass, together with oranges and cedar. Such purity of fruit in the nose. Full-bodied, yet so refined and vertical. It goes deep and long with tight, compressed tannins that are pure and exciting. Really tight and focused. Precise. Try after 2026.

Jeb DUNNUCK

95

byJeb Dunnuckthe4/12/2022

Pure cassis, graphite, violets, damp earth, and chocolate notes all emerge from the 2019 Château D'Issan, a richer, medium to full-bodied, powerful Margaux. It develops a gorgeous sense of minerality with time in the glass, has plenty of mid-palate oomph, integrated oak, and just terrific overall balance. It's a stunning success in the vintage in Margaux, which was one of the more challenging in the vintage. This will round into form with just 4-5 years of bottle age and cruise for two decades or more. Bravo.

Wine Advocate

94

byWilliam Kelleythe4/7/2022

The 2019 D'Issan is showing well from bottle, offering up aromas of sweet berries and plums mingled with violets, orange rind and raw cocoa. Medium to full-bodied, lively and nicely concentrated, with lively acids, powdery tannins and a seamless, elegant profile, it's a charming, perfumed wine that will offer a broad drinking window. The blend is dominated by an atypically high proportion (70%) of Cabernet Sauvignon. The heart of Issan is its walled "Clos" to the rear of the picturesque moated château, which is complemented by more recently acquired holdings situated on the same gravel terrace.

Vinous

95

byAntonio Gallonithe2/28/2022

The 2019 d'Issan is a beautifully complex wine. The aromatics alone are beguiling, but that is just the beginning. Readers will find a powerful, layered Issan that is going to need at least a few years to start shedding some of its formidable tannin. Hints of dried rose petal, mint, blood orange, spice and star anise give the 2019 its gorgeous, beautifully lifted personality. Give this a few years, and watch what happens.

Decanter.com

96

byGeorgina Hindlethe1/5/2022

Stylish nose, feels polished and poised. A svelte style with satiny tannins and such depth of flavour - intense but nuanced with perfumed edges and red and black cherry flavours. You feel the sculpting of the fruit, there are layers of flavour and with good support round the edges and softly chewy tannins. Such a long finish too, really goes on and on. I love it, you get the power without doubt but it's very neatly packaged right now with a smoothness and clarity that's impressive.

Wine Advocate

94-96

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe7/15/2020

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 D'Issan soars out of the glass with expressive scents of baked red currants, warm cassis and black cherry compote with hints of powdered cinnamon, potpourri, Provence herbs and aniseed plus a waft of fallen leaves. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly played with bags of fresh, vibrant black and red berry flavors and a firm line of ripe, grainy tannins, finishing with an invigorating lift.

WeinWisser

17

byTjark Witzgallthe7/7/2020

Bettane & Desseauve

93-94

by Bettane & Desseauvethe7/3/2020

16,5-17

Vinous

92-94

byAntonio Gallonithe6/18/2020

A gorgeous, inviting Margaux, the 2019 d'Issan is ample and resonant in feel, with striking depth and tons of character. Inly blue/purplish fruit, mint, lavender and spice are beautifully woven together. Deceptive at first, the 2019 fleshes out nicely as it gains intensity through to the persistent, taut finish. There is so much to like about this very fine d'Issan. Tasted two times.

Jeb DUNNUCK

93-95

byJeb Dunnuckthe6/18/2020

93-95+ The flagship 2019 Château D'Issan offers more elegance and purity, with terrific cassis, black cherry and blueberry fruits supported by lots of violet, chocolate, and gravelly minerality. Balanced and medium to full-bodied, it has a solid spice of acidity as well as the lush, sexy, seamless style of the vintage. It's straight-up classy juice that's going to have a broad drink window.

Vinous

93-95

byNeal Martinthe6/16/2020

The 2019 d'Issan has an intense bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, pencil lead and wilted iris scents that unfold gradually from the glass. The oak seems nicely integrated here. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy ripe tannins that provide quite a firm backbone. Mainly black fruit with hints of white pepper, sage and graphite, this is a tightly-wound d'Issan with impressive persistence on the classic pencil lead finish. Maybe a bit old school? There's nothing wrong with that if it is well crafted, like this. Tasted twice, one bottle showing a little more cohesion than the first.

Jeb DUNNUCK

93-95

byJeb Dunnuckthe6/11/2020

The flagship 2019 Château D'Issan offers more elegance and purity, with terrific cassis, black cherry and blueberry fruits supported by lots of violet, chocolate, and gravelly minerality. Balanced and medium to full-bodied, it has a solid spice of acidity as well as the lush, sexy, seamless style of the vintage. It's straight-up classy juice that's going to have a broad drink window. 93-95+

The Wine Cellar Insider

94-96

byJeff Levethe6/10/2020

Gentle aromas of flowers, wet earth, tobacco, espresso and red fruits permeate the nose. Elegant and refined in character, the wine falls gently over your palate with warm tones of ripe, sweet, fresh plums, blackberries, spice and freshness, so you discover lift, energy, length and purity. This will age and evolve for at least 2-3 decades. The wine was produced from a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. The Grand Vin was produced from only 47% of the harvest. 94-96 Pts

Jamessuckling.com

96-97

byJames Sucklingthe6/4/2020

This is a very pure expression of cabernet sauvignon with blackcurrants, blackberries and tar. Wet earth, too. It's full-bodied, yet very tight and reserved. Extremely racy, intense finish. This is super precise. Classical.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

92

byJean-Marc Quarinthe5/20/2020

16,5

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

96

byJane Ansonthe5/20/2020

The bigger, more structured Margaux have closed down over ageing, as is the case here with Issan - less exuberant than during En Primeur, but showing concentration, controlled power and beautiful cassis and bilberry fruits. Skilful and deft weaving together of tannins and fresh acidities to cradle the fruit, with a voluptuous creamy mid palate as it opens. Impressive depths, decades of life ahead. 50% new oak, 45% of overall production. Harvest September 25 to October 11.

The World of Fine Wines

93-94

byMichael Schusterthe5/13/2020

Rich and dense to smell, a bit marked by its new wood at the moment; rich midweight wine,
gently fresh, very finely tannic, classic Margaux proportions; a ripe, subtly blackcurrant-sweet
core-fruit, prolonged and aromatic and graceful across the palate, with a discreet mineral element infusing the flavor and fine, scented length; classy, subtle, restrained Margaux, very much in the quality vein of recent years.