2020 Chateau D'Issan Margaux Blason d'Issan

Chateau d’Issan is a classified growth. Designated a Third Growth Classified Châteaux, wines in this category provide an excellent value. The type of value wine lovers and wine collectors dream of.

Château d’Issan has an extensive history in Margaux, certainly claiming one of the oldest estates in the region. The oldest recording of the wine produced here is at the wedding of King Henry II in 1152. It wasn’t until the 17th century that the estate took on its current name coming from a phonetic spelling of d’Essenault, the last name of the owner. D’Essenault was a knight and built his Château fittingly in the image of a castle. Since 1945 the estate has been owned and operated by the Cruse family. There have been extensive renovations and improvements made to the Château since this purchase. 

Just to have an idea of the impressive terroir from Château D'Issan, think about this: Château d’Issan is just 1.5 miles away from Chateau Margaux, one of the world’s most lauded wineries that sells for $750-1500/btl.

Blason d'Issan is the second wine from this recognized estate. This Classified Château started producing this amazing value wine in 1995. It's crafted with younger vines from the Margaux appellation. The result is an amazing wine, that shares the same particularities as its older brother, but with a friendlier approach and that's ready to enjoy earlier.

2020 was a great year for the Left Bank. Vinous Media awarded this year with a 97-point review and said: "Two thousand-twenty is an exceptional vintage for Bordeaux, certainly the best in the 2018-2020 trilogy. Quality is very, very high."

Aging: 14 to 16 months in 35% new French oak barrels.

57% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot. Shows a medium crimson color with purple tints. Fresh, floral, perfumed nose. It offers black fruit aromas, like dark plums, blueberries, and blackcurrants. Satin tannins. Supple, mellow, harmonious.

Dried oranges and plums with bark, mushroom and forest floor aromas that follow through to medium to full body with a dense finish and excellent energy. Spices such as nutmeg and sandalwood. Some chocolate, too. 57% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 3% petit verdot. Best after 2025. ~94 James Suckling

The second wine of this estate is the 2020 Blason D'Issan, and it's a pure, fruit-forward, impressive barrel sample. Lots of sweet cassis and darker cherry fruits as well as chocolate, spicy oak, and espresso notes define this youthful, medium to full-bodied wine that's going to offer ample pleasure right out of the gate. The blend of the second wine is 57% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Petit Verdot, brought up in 35% new French oak. ~90-92 Jeb Dunnuck

Plenty of character and punch, with evident tannins, serious in style softened by autumnal fruits, espresso and black chocolate. Less exuberant in its aromatic structure than the 2019 vintage of this wine, a more classic take on Blason d’Issan, with grip and poise, showing undergrowth and grilled sandalwood on the finish. Eric Boissenot consultant. They have begun a programme of massal selection from their oldest (1948) Petit Verdot vines that arrived with the purchase of neighbouring Château Pontac Lynch, to be planted in the main walled vineyard known as L’Enclos. Harvest September 17 to October 2, 38.5hl/ha yield.~92 Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux

Seductive aromatics, good balance running through the palate, this is enjoyable. Petit Verdot for the first time in the blend, from the Pontac-Lynch vines. This has some lovely depth and width through the palate, one of the better second wines. With the addition of new plots and new grapes, they did many more blending sessions than usual, to be sure especially, whether to add the 1% Malbec to the first wine (most of this info needs to be switched into the Issan entry). Young vines mainly in this wine, Merlot oriented. This year they added 7ha of vines (as of March, from Pontac Lynch, including a 1948 plot of Petit Verdot and a 1958 Cabernet Franc, plus 1% of Malbec that has gone into the blend of the 1st wine). Harvest September 17 through to October 2. A yield of 38.5hl/ha (last year was 50hl/ha). ~92 Decanter

The 2020 Blason d'Issan is a tasty, juicy Margaux to drink now and over the next handful of years, while the fruit remains vibrant.  ~90 Vinous Media

Dark ruby, purple reflections, soft brightening on the rim. Black forest berries, some blackberries and liquorice, a touch of eucalyptus, some tangerine zest. Medium-bodied, a fine fruit sweetness, ripe tannins, some mint on the finish, a chocolatey aftertaste, on the cusp of ready to drink. ~90 Falstaff

~90 Tim Atkin, Master of Wine

***Free Shipping on 6 or More Bottles of This Wine***