95

Antonio Galloni

Vinous

The 2019 d'Issan is a beautifully complex wine. The aromatics alone are beguiling, but that is just the beginning. Readers will find a powerful, layered Issan that is going to need at least a few years to start shedding some of its formidable tannin. Hints of dried rose petal, mint, blood orange, spice and star anise give the 2019 its gorgeous, beautifully lifted personality. Give this a few years, and watch what happens. 01/2022

93-95

Neal Martin

Vinous

The 2019 d'Issan has an intense bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, pencil lead and wilted iris scents that unfold gradually from the glass. The oak seems nicely integrated here. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy ripe tannins that provide quite a firm backbone. Mainly black fruit with hints of white pepper, sage and graphite, this is a tightly-wound d'Issan with impressive persistence on the classic pencil lead finish. Maybe a bit old school? There's nothing wrong with that if it is well crafted, like this. Tasted twice, one bottle showing a little more cohesion than the first. 06/2020

94

William Kelley

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

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. 04/2022

95

Jean-Marc Quarin

Jean-Marc Quarin

Couleur sombre, belle, intense et pourpre. Nez très aromatique, fin, fruité et subtil. Nuances de gelée de mûres. Délicat en entrée de bouche, très savoureux au milieu, avec un des ports les plus subtils de l'appellation Margaux, le vin évolue juteux, délicat au toucher et même complexe entre le milieu et la finale, où il ne cesse de rebondir, sur un toucher de bouche très raffiné où jamais, au grand jamais, le tannin n'apparaît. Une construction dans les pas des plus grands. Bravo ! 03/2022

97

James Suckling

James Suckling

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. 02/2022