2015 Château d’Issan

Description

96    James Suckling
“Very complex aromas of currants, blackberries and iodine with hints of dried mushrooms and flowers. Full-bodied, very fine and silky with a very, very long finish. Shows tension and finesse. Structured yet shows an ultra-fine texture. Deep, dense center palate, yet it’s all so polished. A wine for the future. Drink in 2022.” (2/2018)

95+    Antonio Galloni for Vinous
“The 2015 d’Issan is a total knock-out. Spectacularly ripe and intense, the 2015 exudes richness in all of its dimensions. Super-ripe dark plum, lavender, spice, savory herbs, iron, smoke and new leather add myriad shades of nuance to this super-ripe, decidedly hedonistic Margaux. A powerful, dense wine, the 2015 is going to need a number of years before it is close to being ready to drink. I was quite impressed with d’Issan both times I tasted it. The 2015 has really come along nicely. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, aged in 50% new oak. Eric Boissenot consults.” (2/2018)

95    Jeb Dunnuck
“A powerhouse offering from proprietor Emmanuel Cruse (with consulting advice from Eric Boissenot) is the 2015 Château d’Issan which in 2015 is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot brought up in just over 50% new barrels. Offering a spectacular bouquet of blackcurrants, lead pencil, chocolate and espresso, this full-bodied, incredibly sexy Margaux boasts sweet, sweet tannin, lots of oak, a stacked mid-palate and a huge finish. It’s a tour de force that’s going to benefit from 5-6 years of cellaring and keep for three decades. As I’ve stated numerous times in this report, Margaux was the place to be in 2015 and I suspect numerous estates have made their best wines to date.”(11/2017)

94    Jane Anson for Decanter
“At this stage, the tight black fruits are retracted and withheld on the nose. But a few minutes in the glass opens it up, giving a clear sense of how well this is going to age – it has the great triumvirate of fruit, alcohol and acidity, just starting to reveal how much succulence there is running through the structure. I like this very much. 50% new oak, with the grand vin accounting for 55% of overall production in 2015.” (11/2017)

94    Neal Martin for Vinous
“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 — superb wine from Emmanuel Cruse and his team. Anticipated maturity: 2022-2050.” (02/2018)

93   Lisa Perrotti-Brown for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“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.” (2/2018)