Category	Red Wine
Varietals	Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot
Region	France, Bordeaux, Margaux
Brand	Chateau d'Issan

The plum and orange-peel character comes through here with subtle focus. Medium body and very fine, polished and refined tannins. A light, dusty texture to it. Yet, it’s always focused and bright. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot. Needs time to soften, but already very pretty. Ethereal.

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.

The 2017 d'Issan is pliant, supple and nuanced. This is an especially rich, voluptuous style, with a real feeling of lushness from the Merlot. Dark plum, tobacco, leather, cedar, licorice and spice build into a creamy, racy finish wrapped with silky tannins. Creamy and textured, with impeccable balance, the 2017 Issan is a winner from Emmanuel Cruse and his team.

The 2017 Chateau D'Issan offers more of everything, with a deep ruby/plum color and rocking notes of black raspberries, cassis, spring flowers, violets, loamy earth, and dried tobacco. Beautifully textured, elegant, and finesse-oriented, it has excellent tannins, medium to full body, and an outstanding finish. Based on a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot representing just 47% of the total production, aged in 50% new oak, give bottles 3-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades. This estate covers just over 42 hectares of vines planted in deep, gravelly, clay-based soils. The quality here has been on an upward trend over the past decade thanks to the talents of Emmanuel Cruse and consultant Eric Boissenot.

The 2017 D'Issan (a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot) is medium to deep garnet-purple in color with a nose of baked plums, warm cassis and stewed cherries plus earth, balsamic, Sichuan pepper and herbs hints. The palate is medium-bodied and plush with soft acidity and bags of juicy fruit leading to a gratifyingly spicy finish.

91–93. Barrel Sample. Attractively fruity, this wine comes from an estate that lies close to the Gironde estuary. It is full, with layers of crisp and juicy black-currant fruit, with attractive acidity and a light touch of tannins. Drink from 2022.