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Chateau d'Issan

Chateau d'Issan has considerable history; the original chateau dated from at least the 15th Century, and it has been suggested as the location of the English army's final stand following their defeat at the Battle of Castillon. The chateau today is of more recent construction, having been erected in the 17th Century, but it is perhaps no less remarkable, it being a rather attractive (although rather square-faced) moated building. The wine, which is largely produced from the walled vineyard that lies between the chateau and the D2, also has an illustrious history.

Chateau d'Issan: A History

Chateau d'Issan The original fortress was Chateau Teobon, just one part of a succession of battlements on high ground which lined the Gironde. The earliest recorded owners were the Noalhan family, who held the rights to the seigneurie of Cantenac, and who bequeathed the estate to Thomas de Meyrac. It remained with this family until the early 16th Century, passing to Jean de Meyrac, the son, and then to Isabeau de Meyrac. Isabeau married Giron de Ségur, and thus the property was absorbed into the massive Ségur estate, which also included Lafite, Latour and for a while also Mouton. The estate passed through this family to their granddaughter who married into the Salignac family in 1527, and from here it passed to the Ferrière and then the Lalanne families. In the mid-17th Century it came to Pierre l'Essenhault, a knight and local parliamentarian, as part of the dowry of Marguerite de Lalanne. It was l'Essenhault who demolished the old castle and replaced it with the aforementioned moated lodge which still stands today, and thus the property took on his name, albeit an abridged version. The newlyweds and their descendants resided here until 1760, when the property was acquired by a local councillor named Castelnau, the estate subsequently being divided between the Castelnau and Candale families in 1776. The latter took the chateau, renaming it Chateau de Candale. By this time the vineyard was undoubtedly well established, documents showing that d'Issan was one of the earliest classed growth properties to be established, with wines exported to foreign markets, including the UK. They were recommended for the cellars of the Prince of Wales in a letter from a Bordeaux merchant in 1723, and found favour with Thomas Jefferson who makes reference to the estate in a letter he wrote in 1787. The early wines from d'Issan were clearly of some repute.

The two families continued to hold tenure at d'Issan through to the 18th Century, until the two parts of the vineyard were acquired by Justin Duluc in 1825. Duluc instigated revitalisation of the vineyard, before selling it on for a considerable profit in 1850 to a gentleman named Blancy, and it was under his tenure that the estate was classified as a third growth in the 1855 classification of Bordeaux. His descendents sold the estate to Gustave Roy, who also owned Brane-Cantenac, in 1866. Roy was a wealthy Parisian who had made his fortune in the manufacture and sale of textiles. He was an absentee landlord, yet despite this the wines continued to enjoy a good reputation during his ownership of the estate. It was not sold on until 1914, the purchaser being a M. Grange, who also owned nearby Giscours. Having survived phylloxera and mildew in the late 19th Century, however, both the quantity and quality of the wines deteriorated under the tenure of Grange, no doubt compounded by the ensuing economic depression and war. During World War II the chateau was occupied by German troops, as were many of the grand buildings of Bordeaux, and by the time peace arrived it was in a sorry state, as were the vineyards. Their saviour was Emmanuel Cruse, of the famous Cruse dynasty, who purchased the property in 1945. There was much work to be done, including replanting the vineyards and re-equipping the dilapidated cellars, work which was duly undertaken; it was some time before the chateau received its long-overdue restoration. The Cruse family still own the property today, with Eric Pellon working as general manager. The effort and expenditure they have poured into Chateau d'Issan over the ensuing decades may be paying off, as some recent vintages have given us some very good wines.

Chateau d'Issan - The Vineyard and Wines

Issan The vineyard at d'Issan has been expanded considerably since the acquisition by the Cruse family, gradually increasing from just a couple of hectares after the war to the current size of 30 hectares, a small proportion of the entire estate which covers 100 hectares, most of which is pasture. In addition there are another 22 hectares, half of which are classed as Haut-Médoc and labelled as Chateau de Candale (typically 6000 cases per annum), half sold as Bordeaux Supérieur labelled Moulin d'Issan (typically 6000 cases per annum), both of which are potentially confused with the second wine, but they are in fact sourced consistently from the same vineyard and their differing appellations should remind us of this. The main vineyard lies adjacent to the chateau, has a typically gravelly terroir and is planted with 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot. The vines are planted at a density of 8500 per hectare, and have an average age of 35 years. The fruit is harvested manually, and fermented in stainless steel using temperature control. It is macerated typically for 21 days, before going into oak, using 50% new barrels for the grand vin, Chateau d'Issan (typically 10000 cases per annum), and 35% new barrels for the second wine, Blason d'Issan (typically 5000 cases per annum). The two other cuvées each see 30% new oak per annum. Most wines will see between 16 and 18 months of oak before bottling.

But what of the wines? Certainly, with the latter vintages of the 20th Century I personally feel as though there were few successes at d'Issan. The wines have long been full, rather firm, perhaps more so than many of their peers, but not quite possessing the charm and fragrance that one might look for in Margaux, nor the substance and concentration one might look for in any wine. Many of the wines seemed to linger in the market like lost souls, and I recall not so long ago a local merchant that was still stocking their shelves with the 1978, which you could purchase by the bottle for a fairly reasonable price. A comparison of wines from the late 1990s with the late 1980s reveals a small but tangible step up in quality, and those released since then would seem to continue this trend. I would not rank d'Issan any higher than its current status, as I regard current releases to be at least wines worthy of attention if not very good, but I think there is further improvement to be expected, to be hoped for, from d'Issan. (13/5/04, last updated 13/2/08)

Contact details:
Address: Chateau d'Issan, 33460 Cantenac
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 57 88 35 91
Fax +33 (0) 5 57 8 74 24
Internet: www.chateau-issan.com

Chateau d'Issan - Tasting Notes

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2004

Chateau d'Issan (Margaux) 2004: A really quite stylish nose here, showing a good, typical Margaux perfume. Ripe fruit, attractive and brimming with characterful aroma. Full, carrying good flavour at the start, then showing a harder structure through the midpalate, but it continues with a good texture and it has decent acidity. There is a nice but gentle, rounded sweetness to it. Quite impressive. From a Bordeaux 2004 tasting. 16.5+/20 (November 2007)

2003

Chateau d'Issan (Margaux) 2003: An attractive nose here, even though it carries the warm ripe confit fruit of the vintage. The soft and rounded texture is immediately apparent on the palate, with a rather appealing weight and substance, but it has a level of acidity which is on the low side. And of course there is a big wall of tannins too, leading to a hard finish. Nevertheless it all sits together reasonably well and taken within the context of the vintage I find this to be good. It is just superior to the 1996, tasted alongside. 16+/20

Chateau d'Issan (Margaux) 2003: Ripe and open on the nose, big and expressive with black cherry fruit. Very typical of the vintage. A huge presence of tannin on the palate, although they are quite well coated with fruit and texture. They come to the fore on the finish though. Low acidity, as you might expect, but overall this isn't bad, and approaches a balance that some wines of this vintage find difficult to achieve. 16.5+/20 (November 2006)

2002

Chateau d'Issan (Margaux) 2002: CS 78%, M 22%. Some youthful, quite primary black fruit on the palate here. A little perfume, gravelly character, attractive, with some yet to integrate oak. Nicely crisp fruit, with a good tannic structure beneath, good acidity. Rather one-dimensional at present, but has potential. 15.5+/20 (November 2006)

1999

Chateau d'Issan (Margaux) 1999: This still has a red fruit profile as it did when I last tasted it in 2003, although it is fairly reticent today. A lean palate, showing a lot of structure with a rather thin coating of texture. But overall it is rather muted, inexpressive, but I suspect this is just an awkward stage. Very difficult to judge in its current condition. 15.5-16.5/20 (November 2006)

Chateau d'Issan (Margaux) 1999: A restrained, slightly medicinal, red-fruit nose, again with a touch of beetroot like the 1996, and a little oak still. Impressively dense and structured palate, with firm tannin underpinning plenty of sweet fruit and correct acidity. This needs five years in the cellar. 15.5+/20 (November 2003)

1996

Chateau d'Issan (Margaux) 1996: This is showing quite a mature hue now, the density of pigment is falling off at the core, leading out to a pink, mature rim. Nicely perfumed nose, complex, with meat, iron and earth notes all playing a role. A very gentle and supple style on the palate, rather caressing in nature, a nice texture, mature character, but a rather short finish. A low impact style. This is quite advanced considering it is a great left bank vintage, and taken in that context it is disappointing. Intrinsically, though, it is nice, supple wine for drinking now. 15.5/20

Chateau d'Issan (Margaux) 1996: This has a very pure, Cabernet-dominated nose that is typical of wines of the 1996 vintage. There is lovely perfume and a gravelly note too. The palate mirrors the nose, with classic, pure Cabernet fruit with a sweet edge, delightful poise and a stylish texture. Alongside there are notes of red fruits and beetroot. Lovely. 15.5+/20 (November 2003)

1995

Chateau d'Issan (Margaux) 1995: Dense, earthy fruit on the nose, with some beetroot notes. The palate is lovely, with some typicity in the perfume that adorns the fruit, which has a dense, earthy character like the nose. A good, sweet roundness, but appropriate tannic structure underneath. This one needs five years yet. 15.5+/20 (November 2003)

1988

Chateau d'Issan (Margaux) 1988: Mature nose, with some sweet, caramel-coated fruits. The palate is savoury, quite rounded and attractive, and mature. There is still an appealing, gravelly edge to the fruit. Integrated structure. Ready now, but should drink well for five years plus. 16/20 (November 2003)