2023 Chateau d'Issan 3eme Cru Classe, Margaux

The purity of the fruit is really wonderful here, with blackcurrants, orange peel and raspberries. Aromatic. Full body, chewy tannins and a juicy finish. But it remains linear and vivid. The quality of the tannins and the powdery texture are really alluring. Silky. And so precise. 70% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 2.5% cabernet franc and 2.5% petit verdot. 13.83% alcohol. 3.66 pH.

The 2023 d’Issan is a powerful dense wine especially for a property where the wines tend to be more understated. A rich muscular Margaux the 2023 d'Issan exudes intensity in all of its dimensions. Readers will have to be patient as the 2023 is going to need a number of years to shed some of its considerable baby fat. Dried herbs tobacco incense and bold dark-toned fruit flow into the deep resonant finish. Drink 2033-2063.

The 2023 D'Issan shows excellent potential unfurling in the glass with aromas of dark berries cassis pen ink and white flowers followed by a medium to full-bodied velvety and enveloping palate that's rich fleshy and charming with lively acids good depth at the core and a long sapid finish. It's a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon 25% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

The 2023 d’Issan was picked from September 18 to October 2. It was cropped at 30hL/ha lower than usual due to mildew pressure and less rain in August causing hydric stress during the summer heat wave especially in the Merlot vines. It was harvested a little later than the other cuvées to benefit from the Indian summer September 20 and matured in 50% new oak. It has a very pure bouquet with black cherries cassis and blueberry fruit though I feel that other recent vintages have shown a touch more complexity. The palate is well balanced and cohesive with fine and quite edgy tannins. There is an impressive symmetry to this d'Issan with a very poised and quite persistent finish. It improves with aeration and all the time the aromatics seem to muster more energy (hence I raised my score). One to watch.