Appellation: Margeaux

Size 750mL

Protected by the wall:

Winter was dry and cold, so the vines hibernated peacefully. A lovely warm spring stimulated early budding. In Bordeaux on April 27th and 28th, there were heavy frosts, but the d’Issan “clos” was fortunately spared. The wall surrounding the estate was built in 1644. Being located close to the Gironde Estuary means that our terroir enjoys outstanding geological features and an unparalleled microclimate. Thanks to these conditions our vines were not affected by the series of cold spells that hit the region. 

Record flowering:

Also due to the conditions, flowering was seamless and over in less than a week, uniformly and simultaneously in our two varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. At this point, we estimated the vines to be two weeks ahead of their usual growth calendar. The vintage seemed it was going to be an early one! Very hot weather in June kept the vines still ahead of the average. Much-needed rain at the beginning of July led to a gradual, continuous onset of ripening. Mid-veraison was reached on July 25th.

Earliest harvest since 2003:

The Merlot were harvested between September 18th and 27th. The Cabernet Sauvignon were picked between September 25th and October 3rd. Since flowering was so short and homogeneous, harvesting was the earliest since 2003. The grapes that were picked were lovely and fruity, and very ripe with silky, classy tannins.

Blending:

Blending was finished by mid-January with nicely balanced selections. Château d’Issan 2017 is comparable to no other vintage, but remains completely loyal to the true expression of its historic terroir – that is the magic of its “Clos”

Ratings:

94 Decanter

"This is rather lovely this year. It has a real depth to the fruit, with a brush of caramel through it and a highly appealing cigar box twist on the finish. It doesn't quite have the voluptuous ripeness of 2015 and 2016, but there's plenty of Margaux elegance, precision and touches of florality. They weren't badly affected by frost here, so they had a healthy yield of 43hl/ha. A complete wine with beginning, middle and end. 50% new oak. (JA)"

91-92    James Suckling
“This is round and velvety with a juicy and fruity character and an undertone of sweet strawberries. Round and full-bodied. Sweet tannins."

90-92 Wine Advocate
“The deep garnet-purple colored 2017 D'Issan (a tentative blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot) opens with crushed blueberries and black plums notes with hints of cassis, licorice and violets. Medium-bodied with a firm and finely grained frame, it has oodles of freshness lifting the ripe black and blue fruits to a long, perfumed finish. (LPB)"

86-88    Neal Martin for Vinous
“The 2019 Blason d’Issan has a fresh and tightly-wound bouquet at first, a little “strict” at present with hints of bell pepper behind the carapace of black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins. A juicy, fruit-packed Deuxième Vin, although missing some complexity on the finish. Give it a couple of years in bottle.” (June 2020)

Important information to note: 2019 Bordeaux Futures are offered without any added tariffs currently in place.  If there are any tariffs applied at the time the wines are imported in 2022, we will contact you with the option to pay tariffs and have the wines delivered, or cancel the order without penalty.

Shipping will be calculated at the time of delivery in 2022