Community Tasting Notes 81

• Cailles wrote: 94 points

  February 24, 2024 - Bordeaux 2004 - 20 Years On - 33 Reds: All wines tasted blind, not decanted. Observations: 1) 2004 is a mediocre vintage overall, with many pleasant wines, but without the depth of better years. 2) At the top, the vintage produced some classic, old-school wines with lots of freshness and fresh fruit. 3) At the lower end, many wines lacked fruit and ripe tannins, resulting in some astringent and slightly drying wines. 4) An alarming number of Right Bank wines (5 out of 16, no Left Bank wine) were oxidized, including some heavyweights like Petrus, Evangile or Figeac. An unacceptably high proportion of faulty wines. 5) I’m not sure that the 2004 are currently in a good phase, many of my scores were lower than in previous tastings. The question is if it’s just a weaker phase or the beginning of the end. 6) At the top and the only wine >95pts was a layered Le Pin (rated 96pts), with a charming Vieux Chateau Certan, a surprising Issan and Clos l'Eglise, as well as an elegant Lafite sharing second place (all rated 94pts).
  
  TN: On the nose, expressive dark fruit, green bell pepper, bretty notes and a beautiful minerality. Quite complex bouquet, very inviting. On the palate fresh strawberries, darker red berries, some blue fruit, minerality, no bretty notes. One of the best wines of the tasting today, quite complex, open and balanced with an impeccable structural frame. I wonder we were just lucky or if all bottles are on this level.

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• Enfantterrible wrote: 93 points

  February 11, 2024 - I always feel that twinge when I drink the last bottle of my stash. This was full of spice, cedar and rich fruit. Still drinking young. Beautiful wine.

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• amateur62 Likes this wine: 93 points

  April 4, 2023 - Cabernet Sauvignon 60% and Merlot 40%, yield 54 hl/ha, 60% used for the first wine, aged in French oak barrels (55% new), bottled in March 2006, 12.9% vol.
  
  Decanted an hour before dinner but still improved in the glass. Starts on red fruit and blackcurrant, with more air it gets in addition leather, forest floor and a suggestion of barnyard. On the palate full bodied, medium acidity, present but smooth tannin, very long finish.
  
  Old school Medoc, quite powerful, perhaps a bit rustic but all in all very coherent as everything fits together. If drinking now, it is highly recommended to decant more than an hour, well stored bottles will easily hold another 8 to 10 years before they will slowly decline.

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• Seb Frefranc wrote: 91 points

  May 14, 2022 - Very consistent with my notes from January 2020. Still drinks perfectly now. This bottle showed some barnyard initially, which blew off after 30 min.
  Drink now (but no need for rush).

  Comment

• Jd6725 Likes this wine: 91 points

  March 9, 2022 - Probably the worst d'Issan that I've had, other than an off bottle of the 1996. But still enjoyable. Thin wine but good green and tobacco notes.

  Comment

Pro Reviews 8

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2004
• Type Red
• Producer Château d'Issan
• Varietal Red Bordeaux Blend
• Designation n/a
• Vineyard n/a
• Country France
• Region Bordeaux
• SubRegion Médoc
• Appellation Margaux

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 41 (4%)
• In Cellars 547 (54%)
• Consumed 430 (42%)

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