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Dinner at Chateau d'Issan

Only a couple of hours had passed since we had landed at Mérignac, that time having been largely been spent first in a grand rendezvous of incoming tasters, arriving in Bordeaux on three different flights, and secondly dashing around the Pessac-Léognan tasting at Smith-Haut-Lafitte. Our small amount of work for the day almost complete, it was time to head over to Chateau d'Issan for a tasting of the 2008 vintage, followed by a bite to eat with long-time proprietor Emmanuel Cruse.

I have already written of Emmanuel Cruse and Chateau d'Issan, and after meeting with Emmanuel in April 2009 I will be updating my profile to reflect recent developments at d'Issan, many of which we discussed over dinner that evening. Perhaps the biggest change to the d'Issan landscape in the past few years is the reclassification of 10 hectares of AC Haut-Médoc vines as AC Margaux. Once a source of fruit for one of d'Issan's two non-Margaux cuvées, the grapes are now destined for the second wine, Blason d'Issan. The reclassification was made official in October 2007, and so it the 2008 vintage is the first affected; I suppose the most notable change will be that the volume of Blason d'Issan on the market will be greatly increased.

It was fascinating to hear of the other changes that Emmanuel has brought about during his tenure at d'Issan, which began in 1998. Recognising that improving the quality of the product was the only way forward, Emmanuel instituted a broad and sweeping programme of changes, including installing a new technical director, Eric Pellon, and introducing the aforementioned second wine. Although neither of these changes seem particularly earth-shattering today, at the time they were radical moves for a thirty-year-old newcomer, fresh to his role as general manager, to be making. What I found most remarkable, however, was how Emmanuel communicated his viticultural and no doubt financial success; not by his own palate, the judgement perhaps based on tastings of his own wine against that of his Bordeaux peers, but instead by simple scores. Robert Parker's scores, in fact. Emmanuel rattled off the numbers for his recent vintages, and those of other properties in the region, from memory, and based on said numbers concluded that d'Issan was now one of the leading properties in the appellation. If there was ever any doubt of the significance of Parker to this little region of France, they were quashed that evening.

I have incorporated some of what I learned during my evening here into my profile of Chateau d'Issan, and the notes on the three wines presented below have similarly been included there. As if it were not already obvious, I must disclose received hospitality here; I ate a meal at d'Issan (of tomato tartare, roast pork and tarte tatin), along with half a dozen other wine writers and journalists. If you feel this may influence my judgement of the wines, please bear that in mind when reading my notes. (12/5/09)

Dinner at Chateau d'Issan - Tasting Notes

Tasted in April 2009. All my notes on the wines of Chateau d'Issan, including those below, are collated under my Chateau d'Issan profile. Click to locate stockists.

Blason d'Issan (Margaux) 2004: This is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, with 35% new oak. It has a dense colour, with a very dense core. The nose is rather dark in character, spicy and organic, meaty, with notes of smoky, high-toast barrel notes still. There is good substance on the palate, which is rounded, polished and creamy, with nicely gentle acidity. Underneath, a good, grippy character. Good for a second wine. Tasted at Chateau d'Issan. 16+/20

Chateau d'Issan (Margaux) 1995: This wine, which I first tasted in London 6 years ago, has developed a lot since then. The nose has plenty of mature character now, with meaty fruit, tea leaves and rusty iron filings. The palate is lovely, gentle and elegant, very harmonious, light and integrated. Dry and yet bright, with good figgy fruit, this has turned out to be very good. To be critical, underneath the fine aromatics there is a rather diffuse structure, a rather soft and ill-defined palate, but the wine still gives plenty of pleasure. Tasted at Chateau d'Issan. 16.5+/20

Chateau d'Issan (Margaux) 1989: This mature wine, now 20 years old, still has a fine although overtly aged colour with a fading rim. Meaty, mature, tea-leafy, but with lovely freshness still. The palate is rather lean, stony and defined, but there is some substance to it. There is some grip and backbone too, but more cushioning flesh would be welcome. The finish is bright and rather peppery. A pretty wine which is starting to fade I think. Good though. Tasted at Chateau d'Issan. 16.5/20