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The Château d'Issan is a magnificent moated estate nestled in the heart of the Margaux vineyard in the Médoc. This wine was notably served in 1152 at the wedding of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry Plantagenet of England, and was much appreciated several centuries later by the Prince of Wales in the 1720s, as well as by Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria.
This reputation earned it the following motto on its label: Regum Mensis Aris que Deorum, "For the table of kings and the altar of the gods".
The Château d'Issan was named Third Grand Cru Classé in the famous 1855 classification for Médoc wines.
Today equally owned by the Cruse and Lorenzetti families, the vineyard is planted on a sumptuous deep gravel terroir, with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec. The wines are aged for 16 to 18 months in French oak barrels, 50% of which are new.
One Second wine, Blason d'Issan, and a third wine, Haut-Médoc d'Issan en appellation Haut-Médoc, are produced by the estate.
The Château d'Issan is renowned for its flamboyant, aristocratic style, where the wines are complex and exquisite.
The 2018 vintage is one of the benchmark years for the Bordeaux vineyard. It was punctuated by several climatic acts, with first of all a rather constraining spring, but followed by a magnificently sunny summer. The exceptional conditions in August, which lasted until early October, allowed us to harvest grapes of excellent quality, loaded with tannins, color and aromatic potential.
Blend of the 2018 vintage: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot.
The robe is a lovely, very dark red color with ruby highlights.
The nose is particularly concentrated, with refined notes of black cherry and raspberry, peppery spices, balsamic and violet.
Delicate on the attack, it is carried by an elegant tannic structure and offers a beautiful creamy substance in the middle of the mouth. Deliciously fruity, it rises crescendo in power and volume while showing a lot of freshness. It ends on a long persistent finish, signing a Margaux of great class.
Food and wine pairing:
Château d'Issan 2018 would be adequate with truffled veal mignon cooked with string, confit lamb mouse, duck breast with pepper sauce, or matured prime rib cooked over Medoc vine shoots.
For a pairing with cheese, choose uncooked pressed cheeses: Edam, Gouda, Saint-nectaire, morbier, Tomme de Savoie or Salers.
For dessert, it will be exquisite with Guillaume Mabilleau's Extra-noisette tart, an Opéra cake or a chocolate praline dome.
Cellaring potential and tasting:
Château d'Issan 2018 is a great Margaux promised to keep well, able to wait another ten years to refine. Its peak will be reached between 2030 and 2035.
However, it lends itself perfectly to tasting today. To do so, take care to place the bottle the night before in the serving room at room temperature. Open and decant ideally 4 to 5 hours before tasting.
The bottles will be kept in the cellar, protected from light, lying down, at an optimal hygrometric degree of 70%.
