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The first 2015 that I tasted during the UGC week and what a lovely start. Shining crimson colour, full of damsons and sloes, the initial attack is packed with sweet juicy fruits. This high quality 2015 has a bold ripe tannic structure and a precise uplifting freshness at the end.
The first 2015 that I tasted during the UGC week and what a lovely start. Shining crimson colour, full of damsons and sloes, the initial attack is packed with sweet juicy fruits. This high quality 2015 has a bold ripe tannic structure and a precise uplifting freshness at the end.
The 2015 d'Issan is broodier on the nose than its peers and demands more coaxing, eventually revealing black fruit laced with tar and cedar. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and a keen line of acidity, but does not quite deliver enough complexity and personality toward the finish, implying that it has closed down in recent months. Wait for this wonderful Margaux to reach its plateau, because it is a very great wine. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.
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.
The 2015 d'Issan is a striking Margaux. Next to so many other wines of the appellation that are much more opulent, the d'Issan presents a much more feral, savory profile. Smoke, tobacco, leather, cedar, white pepper and game are some of the signatures. Deep, powerful and endowed with a real sense of explosive energy, the 2015 is bursting at the seams with personality. D'Issan is less showy and opulent than most Margauxs and yet it is also super-distinctive. The 2015 is perhaps a bit rustic and eccentric, but those are small quibbles at this level. The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, aging 50% new oak. Eric Boissenot is the consultant. Tasted three times.
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. Lisa Perrotti Brown Score 93/100 Drink Dates 2020 - 2038
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. Lisa Perrotti Brown Score 93/100 Drink Dates 2020 - 2038
This is solid and muscular Issan with round and powerful tannins. Full and long. Impressively structured.
A 65% Cabernet, 35% Merlot blend from old vines, this epitomises the charm of Margaux with lightly explosive fruit and integrated tannins to give perfect balance.
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 and rather 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.
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
Plump, silky and seductive are the words often used to describe wines from Margaux. Because of their style, they tend to be user friendly and more approachable when young. This is in part due to its terroir which is comprised of the thinnest soil as well as the highest proportion of chunky gravel in all of the Médoc. It drains well but also is it more susceptible to vintage variation. Margaux wines tend to have the highest proportions of Merlot within the core of the Médoc further adding to their ample roundness and openness. Margaux is home to the largest number of classified growths including its namesake first growth, Château Margaux, as well as third growths, Palmer and d'Issan.
