Winemaker Notes
Blend: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, 1% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Mint and flowers on the nose with delicate fragrant black bramble fruit. Smooth and elegant, lifted with a lovely balanced acidity to this, not sharp - it's all very calm and delicate but with texture ot the tannins, slightly grippy and softly chalky giving the frame and the definition. I feel they've treaded delicately here, not tried to overdo it, and it's not as ample or fleshy as some in Margaux but what it doesn't have in confrontation it has in finesse. Really easy to drink and easy to enjoy with gorgeous fragrance throughout, lovely raspberry and strawberry elements, and some black tea on the finish.
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James Suckling
Lighter and the more peppery rendition, with white pepper to the bright red plums and berries. Some olives too. Lightly herbal on the palate, with soft-grained tannins and a fresh, elegant finish. A blend of 65% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 2% cabernet franc, 2% malbec and 1% petit verdot.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Redcurrants, red plums, smoked tobacco, and hints of iron, as well as some floral notes, all emerge from the 2021 Château D'Issan, a medium-bodied, pure, focused, elegant Margaux that shines in the vintage due to its balance and seamlessness. It's already up-front and accessible today yet should have 15 years or more of prime drinking. The blend of the 2021 is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, raised in 50% new oak.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 D'Issan offers up attractive aromas of wild berries, violets, fresh mint and pencil shavings, followed by a medium to full-bodied, polished and seamless palate that's layered and suave, with a pretty core of fruit framed by sweet, powdery tannins. This elegant, sensual wine will offer a broad drinking window.
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Vinous
The 2021 d'Issan was matured in 50% new oak and bottled in June. This displays admirable vivacity on the nose, mainly red-fruited, with clove, a touch of mocha and hints of pencil shavings surfacing with time in the glass--well-defined and "correct". The palate is pliant on the entry with a slight creaminess to the texture. Showing red berry fruit, allspice and hints of cinnamon and white pepper, this exerts a gentle grip with quite a persistent aftertaste. Just a bit short and light on the finish, it doesn't have the finesse of the 2019 or 2020, but it has plenty of character and will drink after six or seven years. –Neal Martin
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Silky, seductive and polished are the words that characterize the best wines from Margaux, the most inland appellation of the Médoc on the Left Bank of Bordeaux.
Margaux’s gravel soils are the thinnest of the Médoc, making them most penetrable by vine roots—some reaching down over 23 feet for water. The best sites are said to be on gentle outcrops, or croupes, where more gravel facilitates good drainage.
The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification but it is nonetheless important in regards to history of the area. In 1855 the finest chateaux were deemed on the basis of reputation and trading price—at that time. In 1855, Chateau Margaux achieved first growth status, yet it has been Chateau Palmer (officially third growth from the 1855 classification) that has consistently outperformed others throughout the 20th century.
Chateau Margaux in top vintages is capable of producing red Cabernet Sauvignon based wines described as pure, intense, spell-binding, refined and profound with flavors and aromas of black currant, violets, roses, orange peel, black tea and incense.
Other top producers worthy of noting include Chateau Rauzan-Ségla, Lascombes, Brane-Cantenac, and d’Issan, among others.
The best wines of Margaux combine a deep ruby color with a polished structure, concentration and an unrivaled elegance.