Château d’Issan: Vineyards
Château d’Issan is located close to the D2 as it courses northwards through the Médoc. The road lies to the west of the estate, to the south is the village of Cantenac, while to the north and east is the pasture or palus that runs down to the Gironde. This proximity to the Gironde is indicated by the name of another road, the Route du Port, which runs alongside the estate and down towards the estuary. Near neighbours including Château Rauzan-Ségla and Château Rauzan-Gassies, which lie on the opposite side of the D2 (just off the Route d’Issan in fact), Château Palmer which lies on the D2 directly to the west, and Château Margaux which lies just to the north-west. These are all good neighbours to have.
The vineyard at Château d’Issan has been expanded considerably since the acquisition of the estate by the Cruse family, gradually increasing from just a couple of hectares in the 1940s to the current size of 67 hectares. This is just a small proportion of the entire estate, however, which covers approximately 117 hectares, much of which (50 hectares all told) is the aforementioned pasture where the soils are simply not suitable for the vine. Of the 67 hectares, 52 hectares have the Margaux appellation, while 15 hectares do not; some of these excluded parcels are classified as Haut-Médoc and some as generic Bordeaux. The latter vines are located on the east side of the poplar-lined driveway up to the château (pictured below), reflecting their proximity to the pasture and palus to the east, while only the vines on the west side have the Margaux appellation. The Haut-Médoc vines are located at a distance from the property.
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