Chateau d'Issan 2022

The blend here is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot, taking a lot of fruit from the parcels outside the clos, the grand vin in this vintage accounting for 54% of the total production. The élevage was in 50% new barrels. A very polished nose here, dark berries coated in dry dark chocolate, with tobacco, black olive and soot complexities, as well as a floral touch, suggestive of peony and mint. A nicely polished palate, medium-bodied, but with a fine and dry extract, with tightly knit tannins wrapped up in ribbons of dark and salted fruits, black olive, tobacco, leather and black pepper, which lies atop a dark and sinewy backbone of tightly knit and energetic tannins. Great length here, the length wrapped up in those tannins, finely defined and tight knit. A very convincing d’Issan which will surely evolve well over the next couple of decades. Absolutely delicious this – one of the best vintages from d’Issan I have tasted. The alcohol on the palate is 14.5%.

• Reviewer Name: Chris Kissack
• Review Date: May 2023

A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec, and 1% Petit Verdot, aged in 50% new oak, d’Issan 2022 has a deep garnet-purple color. It opens with a gorgeous perfume of crème de cassis, black raspberries, and violets, giving way to hints of mint tea, dark chocolate, and underbrush. Full-bodied, the palate is wonderfully silky with bags of juicy red and black fruit flavors and a lively backbone, finishing long and fragrant. This is what Margaux is all about!

• Reviewer Name: Lisa Perrotti-Brown

The deep ruby/purple-hued 2022 Château D'Issan is rock star stuff, offering a massive array of red and black fruits, spring flowers, violets, smoky tobacco, and a beautiful sense of minerality. This full-bodied, powerful, concentrated Issan has a layered, seamless mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. The alcohol here is 14.6% and the pH is a solid 3.6. Give bottles 4-5 years if you can, and it will evolve gracefully over the following three decades.

• Review Date: November 2023

Violets, black cherries, blueberries, blackberries, cocoa, cedar, and cigar box fill the aromatics. On the palate, the wine is lively, creamy, deep, long, and most importantly pure. The tannins are silky, and even with all this ripeness, and concentration, the wine remains fresh, vibrant, long and sensuous. This is undoubtedly the finest vintage of d'Issan ever produced! The wine is made from a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 1% Petit Verdot. 14.64% ABV, 3.67 pH. This is the only the third vintage to include 5 Bordeaux varietals in the blend. Picking took place September 15 - September 28. Yields were 30 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2027-2055.

• Reviewer Name: Jeff Leve
• Review Date: May 2023

Wonderfully intense fragrance on the nose - violets, blackcurrants and chocolate. Smooth and silky, almost creamy in texture with bite to the tangy strawberry and red cherry fruit. The grip from the tannins takes hold from the mid palate onwards, creating a funnel for the energy and power to surge through ending long and lifted. Lovely winemaking, this has thrust but is packaged really elegantly with the opulence of 2022 clearly on show - especially with a flash of heat on the finish - but balanced freshness and a light touch in the cellar. Bold but seductive nonetheless.

• Drinking Window: 2028 - 2049
• Reviewer Name: Georgina Hindle
• Review Date: April 2023

Grips from the outset, spiced sandalwood, incense, cumin, graphite, black pepper, a ton of personality and confidence, juicy savoury black fruits, character, intensity, grip and lift, impressive. Love the character of this wine. Issan had been using five grapes in the blend since the 2020 vintage. 50% new oak.

• Drinking Window: 2030 - 2046
• Reviewer Name: Jane Anson
• Review Date: May 2023

The 2022 D'Issan has turned out beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of minty cassis, rose petals, pencil shavings and vine smoke. Medium to full-bodied, suave and velvety, it's deep, complex and well-balanced, with a sweet core of fruit and ripe structuring tannins. It's a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.

• Reviewer Name: William Kelley
• Review Date: April 2022

The 2022 d'Issan is a potent, tightly wound wine. Gravel, incense, leather, licorice and plum fill out the layers. This deep, virile Margaux is in no mood to show its cards today. I expect it to be very slow to mature. There's a lot of wine here. Powerful tannins dominate, which is unusual considering that Issan is often more charming at the outset. The 2022 needs time.

• Reviewer Name: Antonio Galloni
• Review Date: October 2023

The 2022 Château d'Issan, the first to utilize the new cuvier equipped with smaller vats, has a well-defined nose that is far superior to the Moulin d'Issan. The gap between the two is wider compared to other properties. It features black fruit, touches of espresso and graphite on the nose, with none of the dark chocolate aroma that I observed from barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with a sapid entry and quite firm tannins. This is classic in style, a cool and linear d'Issan that, like others, you would not guess was born in a hot vintage. With good depth and grip on the finish, this is a spicy d'Issan that will develop well in bottle. Afford it five to seven years before broaching if you can.

• Reviewer Name: Neal Martin
• Review Date: May 2023