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Issan 2014

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Margaux
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

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Label

Tasting Notes

Complex aromas of sweet tobacco, chocolate, cedar and plums. Undertones of blackcurrants and dark chocolate. Dense and tight with a beautifully and tightly knit palate, yet this shows so much intensity and length. Love the wet-earth and berry character on the finish. Give this three to four years to soften even if it’s fantastic already to taste.

94
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2017

You are immediately captured by the aromatics of this wine, such gorgeous complexity on display, layers of fern, heather, sage, white pepper, gun smoke. Taut tannins still at 6 years old, with nuanced, balanced, juicy and powerful cassis and bilberry fruits. No need to rush because this will age, but there is so much to enjoy here.

94
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com, September 2021

Tasted blind. Sweet and rich on the nose. Very lively and toasty but a bit tarty. Lean.
Drink 2021-2032

16+
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, February 2018

The 2014 Château d’Issan is a step back from the 2015 yet is still a beautiful and elegant wine from this estate. Its ruby/purple-tinged color is followed by a gorgeous set of aromatics including currants, cedar, lead pencil, and flowers. With an herbal edge, medium to full-bodied richness, terrific concentration, and a focused, chiseled finish, this is pure class all the way. It’s already approachable but should be at its best from 2020-2040. 2020 - 2040

92
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, November 2017

A charming style, featuring a light singed sandalwood edge to the mix of plum, bitter cherry and savory notes. Shows a flash of gunpowder tea on the finish, with a twinge of iron. Best from 2019 through 2024. 7,917 cases made.

89
James Molesworth, WineSpectator.com, February 2017
Read more tasting notes...

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. Drink Date 2020-2040

91+
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (Interim En), April 2017

The Château d'Issan 2014 is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon and 23% Merlot picked between 25 September and 15 October and matured in 50% new oak. It has a very precise, quite minerally bouquet that has that tradamark violet touch that pins down the appéllation. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and good acidity; appreciable depth with chewy black tarry fruit towards the finish. This is a guttsier d'Issan that will probably be one of the longer lasting Margaux crus of the vintage. I've been smitten by recent vintages from this glorious Margaux estate, but I detected just a mote of greenness on a couple of samples that I hope will vanish by the time of bottling. If it does then it will merit a higher score. Tasted three times. Drink: 2020 - 2040.

89/91
Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (218), April 2015

A dense and tight wine with cedar, berry, light chocolate and nut character. Full body, compacted center palate with muscular tannins.

92/93
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2015

Mid crimson. Correct and well balanced. Spreads right across the palate. Really very impressive balance with lots of useful elements. Good drive and interest quotient. Complex and satisfying. Quite persistent. Really very impressive even if not a very long-term wine. Drink 2018-2030

17
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2015
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.