Chateau d'Issan 2014
(Margaux, Bordeaux, France) - [JS 94] [DM 94] [WE 93-95] [JD 92] [WA 91+] [VM 91]

Chateau d`Issan is a Third Growth Margaux property that produces about 100,000 bottles each year. Its richly aromatic and silky-textured Clarets are often amongst the best of the appellation. The estate’s history dates back to the 1152 when the wine was officially served at the wedding of Eleanor of Aquitaine to King Henry II.

Chateau d’Issan is in the heart of the Margaux appellation, a truly privileged location, which explains the outstanding quality of its wines. The mild weather, regulated by being close to the sea and the Gironde Estuary, provides ideal conditions for vine growth. The vines at Chateau d’Issan benefit from close, on-going care designed to produce perfectly ripe grapes. Everything is organized so that each individual plot can be tended independently in order to get the very best out of its fruit.

This wine is made from the old vines in the Château d’Issan enclosure in the middle of the Margaux appellation. The soil here is mainly made up of surface gravel on top of a clay subsoil, which contributes to optimal ripeness and freshness in their two grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon (about 62%) and Merlot (38%). 

Ratings & Reviews

94 Points - James Suckling:
"Complex aromas of sweet tobacco, chocolate, cedar and plums. Undertones of blackcurrants and dark chocolate. Dense and tight with a beautifully and tightly knit palate, yet this shows so much intensity and length. Love the wet-earth and berry character on the finish. Give this three to four years to soften even if it’s fantastic already to taste." (Feb 2017)

94 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"This is the highest level of Cabernet Sauvignon of the vertical, with 77%, coming through in more subtle aromatics on the nose but beautiful depth on the palate. Velvety plush texture, the tannins are wrapping around the fruit, giving form and density to the blackberry and tight cassis notes. This is a vintage that often gets overlooked but here shows black chocolate, violet, slate, gunsmoke. One to savour as it unrolls in the mouth." - Jane Anson (Dec 2019)

93-95 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"Barrel Sample. This is a serious wine, with dense tannins and concentrated structure. It has strong wood and smoky bacon notes that need to harmonize with the dark plum flavor and ample acidity." – Roger Voss (3/1/2015)

92 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The 2014 Château d’Issan is a step back from the 2015 yet is still a beautiful and elegant wine from this estate. Its ruby/purple-tinged color is followed by a gorgeous set of aromatics including currants, cedar, lead pencil, and flowers. With an herbal edge, medium to full-bodied richness, terrific concentration, and a focused, chiseled finish, this is pure class all the way. It’s already approachable but should be at its best from 2020-2040." (11/30/2017)

91+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The 2014 D'Issan has a crisp, pure bouquet, quite tight and reticent like the 2014 Marquis d'Alesme Becker, eventually offering blackberry, soy and cedar scents, almost Saint Julien in style. The palate is medium-bodied with a touch of herbaceousness on the entry, but there is plenty of fruit behind it. I like the classic style of this d'Issan, the pepperiness of the Cabernet driving the structured and quite masculine (for Margaux) finish. This is beginning to show the class that I thought it would and it may merit a higher score in the future." - Neal Martin (Mar 2017)