Château d’Issan: Tasting & Drinking
So what of the wines of Château d’Issan? Certainly, with the latter vintages of the 20th century I personally feel as though there were few successes here. 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, especially one so prestigious. Many of the wines seemed to linger in the market like lost souls; I recall when I held only a burgeoning interest in Bordeaux a local merchant that was still stocking their shelves with the 1978 vintage, available by the bottle for a fairly reasonable price. A comparison of wines from the late 1990s with those from the late 1980s reveals an increasingly tangible step up in quality though, and the vintages released since then would seem to continue this trend.
This trend is the direct result of a decision by Emmanuel Cruse, who took charge here at the age of just 30 and who remains in charge here today, to invest and ratchet up quality at Château d’Issan. When he took on this role Emmanuel knew, I think, that this property was underperforming, and he recognised that quality was the way to ensure profitability. The arrival of Éric Pellon in 1995 and the subsequent introduction of the second wine were major steps forward, although many other improvements were made, as I have detailed in the opening pages of this profile. Quality has rocketed here under their joint direction, sufficiently so for me to be able to disclose that I have bought at least one recent vintage for my own cellar, which is I suppose the highest level of praise possible. I trust that, under joint ownership with Jacky Lorenzetti, there should be no shying away from further investments and improvements here. I suspect Château d’Issan has yet to hit its peak.
Having said that, recent vintages should not be overlooked in the hope of greater things yet to come. There are very good wines made here today. In recent vintages, the 2016 offers much, as it does across much of the region, as indeed does the 2015, which was stronger in Margaux than it was further north on the Médoc. Having escaped the frost in 2017, this is also a vintage which holds some promise, albeit behind the first two vintages mentioned, while quality in the 2018–2019–2020 triumvirate is consistently high. Looking backwards to older vintages, the 2014 is a smart wine, although to find the sort of quality provided by the 2016 vintage one has to look back to 2010 and 2009, two vintages which will provide good drinking for many decades to come, I suspect, As for older vintages, I have a soft spot for 2005 and 2000 (but then who doesn’t?) while others are less successful than more modern efforts. Stick to the more recent efforts, otherwise buyer beware. (13/5/04, updated 8/3/07, 13/2/08, 15/5/09, 2/3/13, 7/6/14, 30/12/18, 23/6/21)
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