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  • Country ranking ?

    724
  • Producer ranking ?

    1
  • Decanting time

    4h
  • When to drink

    2020-2035
  • Food Pairing

    Beef

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The Story

Indeed famous people had appreciated it: the wine was served at the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry Plantagenêt; it was also the favorite wine of Emperor Franz Joseph. The motto of the estate "Regum mensis aris that deorum" means “for the table of kings and the altar of the gods”.

 

The family Cruse, who has been established in the Médoc for 150 years, now owns the castle. The château d'Issan is made of 120 hectares, of which 50 are dedicated to the culture of the vines. The grapes used to produce the great wine of the château (ranked third in 1855’s classification) and the second wine, Blason d'Issan, are the cabernet sauvignon and the merlot. The use of these varieties allows the château d'Issan to propose typical wines of Margaux with the strength of a Pauillac.

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Vintage 2019

BORDEAUX VINTAGE 2019

When I visited Bordeaux in early March, Corona was a threat on the horizon and France was more concerned about an air traffic control strike. However, I was traveling to Bordeaux and had the chance to get a first taste of the 2019 vintage. I was looking forward to the en primeur tastings which were scheduled for March 26, 2020 but the tastings were canceled mid-March . I immediately contacted the different associations and wineries in Bordeaux and asked for samples.

The result was a small number of wines that arrived in Essen before France's lockdown made shipping rather difficult. These first samples of the 2019 vintage were tasted in impeccable conditions to ensure a fair and equal evaluation of all qualities. In fact, the samples proved that the opinion of certain Bordeaux personalities was right. Bruno-Eugène Borie of Château Ducru-Beaucaillou sees 2019 in line with the excellent vintages of 2016, 2010, 2009 and 2005.

Henri Lurton talks about his best vintage, as well as 2016, that he has ever vinified at Château Brane-Cantenac. Philippe Dhalluin of Château Mouton-Rothschild believes that the vintage is rich and abundant in quality and also in quantity. After a few smaller harvests, they returned to average production.

Emmanuel Cruse of Château d’Issan sees that 2019 has a lot in common with 2016 while preserving more freshness. It is a very good vintage but appearing at a very difficult time on the market. In fact, the start of this vintage was very positive. Soils like chalk and clay retained enough precipitation during the winter. Vineyards on these water-retaining soils had a huge advantage in the future growing period. With the exception of a wet June, the vintage benefited from a rather dry climatic situation, which made it possible to largely avoid diseases in the vines. No chance for powdery or downy mildew. Even the heat waves did not really harm the vines as the rain set in, always at the last moment but always early enough to avoid massive water stress and a slowdown in maturity. The late physiological maturity brought a lot of alcohol, but the wines show more freshness than in previous years.

Fabien Teitgen, Winemaker from Smith-Haut-Lafitte, associates this freshness with the good acidity “due to the cool night temperatures during the ripening period”. This fact is also good news for white wines. “They are the big surprise,” confides Olivier Bernard of Domaine de Chevalier.

At Château Coutet de Barsac, Philippe and Aline Baly harvested in three passes totaling 19 days of harvest. They judge the conditions to be rather ideal: “These climatic conditions generated a harvest whose quality is undeniably present. » The same samples made their way to Essen and I tasted them. More samples are being announced and will hopefully arrive during the current week. There will be a weekly update of my tasting notes, whenever the samples arrive.

Unfortunately, 2019 is coming in a difficult time, the Corona virus is scaring the world and making business more and more difficult. Commercial bays and new customs duties create a difficult environment for this vintage. However, we must not forget one thing: magnificent 2019s await us, wines with aging potential and charm that will survive all crises.

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

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Written Notes

D’Issan – 70% Cabernet Sauvignon + 30% Merlot, 50% new oak, 13.37% alcohol. Fine cherry/blueberry drops on the nose, elegant with finesse, subtle, velvety texture, silky berries and tannin. Tasty and attractive. Fine fruity finish. 93p.

  • 93p

Very intense purple colour with violet hue. Excellent nose showing real class, fragrant fruit, juicy mulberries, ripe blackcurrants and blackberries, genteel hints of red berries in the background. Noble toasting aroma and hints of mild spices, vanilla and gingerbread in the background. On the palate well structured with ripe fruit, blackberries and hints of blackcurrants. Silky tannins, great freshness, depth and length. A wonderful wine with excellent tension.

  • 96p
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Origin

Margaux, Bordeaux
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