Issan 2015

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot aged in 50% new and 50% one-year-old barrels for 18 months, the deep garnet-purple colored 2015 D'Issan simply sings with a beautiful perfume of wilted flowers, rose hip tea and mincemeat with a core of cherry preserves and blackberry tart plus a hint of underbrush. Medium-bodied, fine, fresh and elegant, it's very soft and silky in the mouth with a long finish. 2020 - 2038

The 70th anniversary of the Cruse family at Issan, this is packed with still-young and creamy cassis and black cherry fruits, gourmet brioche, liquorice and smoked earth notes, an exceptional vintage, that is harmonious and balanced. This was a warm summer but Issan has maintained freshness and juice, with signature Margaux floral and gunsmoke aromatics. The appellation of Margaux saw 32mm of rain compared to the northern Medoc that was closer to 110mm, and it shows in the concentration of this wine. 55% new oak. Harvest September 21 to October 10, yield 40hl/h. Retasted September 2022, confirms the exceptional quality of this vintage - a year where the fruit is so succulent that it is possible to enjoy today with a long carafe, but it is going nowhere. Drink 2023-2046.

Tasted blind. Quite sweet, smoked hickory oak with punch and a bit of drama. Juice and attack. Just scrapes a 17.Drink 2024-2040

The fruit on the nose is bright the start of the palate fresh. Sweet fruit depth ripe cassis in the middle the fruit is supported by fine tannins. Juicy fleshy depth at the back the finish has hints of vanilla.

This is a very calm, very deep Issan with all of the flavour pushed to the back of the palate. It seems shy on the nose andrather introspective but there is some very classy, velvety fruit here and some sooty oak which melds well. A good effort,this will be a slow burn but it will open beautifully one day into the archetypal Margaux.

The 2015 D'Issan is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot and was bottled in May 2017 (a little earlier than some of its Margaux neighbors such as Palmer or Château Margaux). It has an intense bouquet with black cherries, boysenberry, cedar and those marine-like scents that I picked up on when I tasted this in barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, slightly grainy tannin. There is a touch of graphite here, with a little more structure on the finish than I was expecting, yet it's still as fresh as a daisy and demonstrating greater precision than almost every other vintage that precedes it. This comes highly recommended—a superb wine from Emmanuel Cruse and his team. Anticipated maturity: 2022 - 2050.

The 2015 Château d'Issan is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot cropped at 40 hl/ha, representing 55% of the production. Emmanuel Cruse told me how they suffered less rain on the weekend of 12 and 13 September, 32 millimeters being less than in the northern Médoc. Cropped between 21 September and 6 October, it has a very pure and sensual bouquet that takes time to open up, eventually offering black cherries and blueberry, a marine influence tucked in just behind (a common thread throughout various vintages of d'Issan). The palate is underpinned by extraordinarily fine tannin that gently caress the mouth. The 55% new oak is beautifully embroidered throughout this wine from start to finish, which displays energy, real frisson in the mouth. This may well turn out to be one of the greatest Château d'Issan made in the modern era. Tasted twice with consistent notes. Drink 2028-2060.

This is solid and muscular Issan with round and powerful tannins. Full and long. Impressively structured.

Only medium crimson. Only medium intensity of aroma but lots of vivacity underneath. Very 'new-fashioned', as the Joanne brothers put it. Racy and full of real charm and energy. Lots behind this. This builds towards the end in a way that good burgundy does. Chapeau!Drink 2024-2039