Jamessuckling.com | JS 97
Published: Jul 19, 2021

Fresh currants and raspberries pop out of the glass, together with oranges and cedar. Such purity of fruit in the nose. Full-bodied, yet so refined and vertical. It goes deep and long with tight, compressed tannins that are pure and exciting. Really tight and focused. Precise. Try after 2026.

The Wine Advocate | RP 94
Published: Apr 7, 2022
Drink: 2025-2055

The 2019 D'Issan is showing well from bottle, offering up aromas of sweet berries and plums mingled with violets, orange rind and raw cocoa. Medium to full-bodied, lively and nicely concentrated, with lively acids, powdery tannins and a seamless, elegant profile, it's a charming, perfumed wine that will offer a broad drinking window. The blend is dominated by an atypically high proportion (70%) of Cabernet Sauvignon. The heart of Issan is its walled "Clos" to the rear of the picturesque moated château, which is complemented by more recently acquired holdings situated on the same gravel terrace.

Chateau-issan.com

Nature and Man hand in hand
After a relatively mild, rainy winter, the vines began to flower in the greatest calm
and splendid sunshine towards the end of May on the 23rd. Temperatures hit heatwave levels in June from the 24th to the 28th and July from 22nd to 25th, but our vines were not affected, because our soils are made up of surface gravel on top of deep clay.

Summer breeze
Temperatures were quite cool with modest sunshine at the beginning of June.
The sun finally became more generous after this. The point when the initial colour-change heralding ripening was noticeable on half the vines’ fruit (mi-véraison), was reached on 10th August. Intermittent rain added a little vigour to growth. Cool nights contrasted with high daytime temperatures, producing clear-cut tannins and perfect balance.

Good harvest conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon
We started the harvest picking our Merlot grapes from 25th September to 2nd October, following up with the Cabernet Sauvignon from 2nd to 11th October. The sunshine that followed each episode of rain ensured that the fruit was in good, disease-free condition right through to the end of the harvest.

In the winery
We vinify our fruit on a parcel-by-parcel basis in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. We favour gentle extraction to preserve all the aromatic complexity of the fruit.

A vintage with charisma 
We blended our wines in the middle of January. The 2019 vintage displays perfect balance between its sun-ripened aromas and the texture of its tannins.
Harmonious and silky, it fully expresses the features of its historic terroir