2014 Chateau d’Issan 3eme Cru Classe, Margaux

Vinous 88

The 2014 Château d’Issan has an open-knit, fresh bouquet with light, tobacco-tinged black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, understated and elegant in style with a Saint-Julien-like finish. Six years ago, the bottle suggested a better wine, indicating that it peaked in the interim. Tasted blind at the Southwold 10-Year-On tasting. [Neal Martin, 19/03/2024]

Anticipated maturity: 2024-2033

Robert Parker 91+

The 2014 D’Issan has a crisp, pure bouquet, quite tight and reticent like the 2014 Marquis d’Alesme Becker, eventually offering blackberry, soy and cedar scents, almost Saint Julien in style. The palate is medium-bodied with a touch of herbaceousness on the entry, but there is plenty of fruit behind it. I like the classic style of this d’Issan, the pepperiness of the Cabernet driving the structured and quite masculine (for Margaux) finish. This is beginning to show the class that I thought it would and it may merit a higher score in the future. [Neal Martin, 28/09/2017]

Anticipated maturity: 2020-2040