Lots of flower aromas of roses and violets with notes of cherries. Tannins are medium-plus with a fine character. The wine tasted better at a hour decant vs 4 hours where it started to lose some of its floral character, however it did smooth out with the extra time.
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Brought with us to Seared 1200 steakhouse in St. Pete Beach, so this did not get a lengthy decanting. A very attractive, semi-opaque magenta in color - right up to the edge. The nose on this was just fabulous. Very pretty and captivating scents of flowers, earth and cedar fill the glass. Extremely elegant in texture and weight. Offers a delicious combination of tangy plum and dark currant fruit, deftly matched to a moderate acidity. There’s good depth to the mid-palate. Complex notes of iron, mineral and coffee grace the long, polished finish. The dusty tannins are integrating nicely. Poised, well-balanced and delicious. This is a charming, textbook Margaux with a distinctly old-school feel. 50+5+13+17+7=92
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Decanted for air, but there was a little sediment too. Lovely wine in a nice place if still wanting a few layers that age will certainly bring. Dark fruit veiled by graphite and spiciness. Glad I have more in the cellar. The texture stole the show. Silky without being too soft, firm and structured without being awkward. Tense yet full. Good concentration. Had with pizza and salads and while it might have paired better with something more substantial, overall worked well. Want to wait a while on the next bottle.
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While youthful, this has already integrated enough to show well with a 3-hour decant. There is a lovely Margaux floral bouquet and flavor profile with an almost creamy-fine texture that makes this go so well with leg of lamb. The finish shows very refined tannins with notes of blackberry spice and a touch of leather. A very fine-boned and lacy Margaux in the making. 92+
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Ordered a bottle at a wonderful bistro in Bordeaux. Very earthy. Lots of blackberry and currant. Will be an absolutely stunning wine in a few years. Still excellent. Also, brasserie Bordelaise is a wonderful stop in Bordeaux if you make it here
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Great intense red coor with purple reflex, it had a super complex nose with leather, hearthy, tomatoes leave, mature cherry, a little chocolate and coffee. On the palate it's incredibly powerful with rough tannins compensated by a M+ acidity and followed by a very long finish. I give 93 but it can get up till 95 in few years.
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Deep cherry red color with hints of purple on pouring ….somewhat opaque in clarity. Classic Margaux blend of Cab. Sauvignon and Merlot (64/36%). Engaging aromas of leather, cassis, blackberries, tobacco and touch of mint. Medium bodied mouthfeel with expressive fruit flavors noted above. Complex texture of the wine with smoothness at mid palate. Well balanced acidity with long finish.
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Purchased at retail as a result of a number of recent CT reviews. Wow. Although structured for a long, long life, this bottle was drinking pretty well. Everything was in place, and the tannins were very ripe, so there was very little issue with early consumption. You could tell the fruit was slightly obscured and the finish a little shortened by the structure, but that’s to be expected at this stage. It showed leather and layers of blackberries, cassis, and a whiff of spearmint on the nose and big bowls of blackberry compote and cassis on the very well-endowed palate. Quite a wine.
My score is for today, but I can easily see this hitting Jane Anson’s predicted 97/100 in maturity. I really must have some of this for the cellar. 13% ABV (great; distinctive/****/17/93)
Nose of black cherry, blackberries, bramble, mushrooms, truffle, wet bark, and a slight floral edge. Excellent tannin-acid balance, savory (mineral and salty) and midpalate is rich with perfume and a touch of espresso/cocoa. Medium to medium-full bodied.
Finish is elegant, long, and sustained.
93++ rounded up to 94 for CT rating. Could be a bit more concentrated in texture and flavor. Excited to try the 2020s and beyond when they age w/ inclusion of old vine petit verdot and new sources of cabernet franc and malbec.
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Delicious wine. The tannin is prominent but integrated, and flavors of blackberry, red cherry and raspberry are primary, with a very tiny hint of some aged characteristics. The wine coats the entire palate and is incredibly well balanced. This will last for a long time.
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Almost a year since my last review of this wine - I need to keep my hands off of these for a while, but they are just so good... See my last review for details. This bottle showed the same as the one last year - prototypical elegance and balance. The tannins are still very present, but are ripe and don't dry things out too much. Hold if you have the patience, otherwise enjoy.
Medium purple color. Pleasing bouquet of pencil lead, currants, blueberries, violets with emerging blood/leather and a hint of cinnamon. Palate in transitional phase of vague, slightly bitter-tinged mixed berries. Minimal finish at this point; nice aromas but lackluster palate impression.
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This is a really delicious wine. It has a deep garnet color that shows it has a little age, but it still tastes youthful. It lingers on the palet for a while very pleasantly with nice balance and a soft, silky tannin. Aromas of raspberry, blackberry and currant. I am excited to see this age further as well because it clearly seems like it has years of development left in the bottle.
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Suckling Wines of the World in Miami: this was one of the highlights of the tasting and drinking beautifully with all the elements in balance: medium body, rich, ripe fruit, the tannins well integrated and good length.
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This was a present from a coworker. Decanted 3 hours. Nose of blackberries and sweet tobacco, with touches of alcohol. Beautiful palate with medium acidity and silky tannins - very balanced and ready to drink now - with dense dark fruit, cherries, tobacco leaves, and oak on the ending. Excellent now - but wait 3-4 years if you can.
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Beautiful with lamb shish kebab. Possibly infanticide but this is so very drinkable now with a 1-hour decant. I have smashed through my stash of 4 bottles in 1 year. No regrets really.
This is a fantastic bottle of Bordeaux. It was a little restrained the night that I opened it, showing boisterous blackberry and very silky tannins, but it also showed me that it had a lot to unfurl as each pour opened up substantially in the glass. With ~24 hrs of air, this wine is world class - the black fruit has developed into a red/black currant note that has been balanced out by tobacco and cedar notes, with a hint of minerality at the core. The tannins and acidity have also both come online in day 2, but give structure to the wine vs overwhelm it.
I have a second bottle that I will try to keep my hands off of for a decade or longer, as this will clearly go the distance.
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Brambly dark fruit, tobacco leaf, violets, gravel, cracked peppercorn, and just the barest hint of bell pepper on the nose. Currants, blackberries, and dusty tannins on the palate with great mineral quality as well. Finish is quite long, notes of licorice, pepper and more dusty tannin. The balance on this wine is impeccable, great classic bordeaux. Definitely still youthful and reticent today, will wait 3-5 years before the next bottle. But it should age into a seriously excellent wine.
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Medium bodied wine with a complex nose of black currants, blackberries, some very subtle plummy/blueberry notes, five spice, white pepper, chocolate, cigar box, roses, violets, and very well integrated elegant oak (toast and praline). On the palate, a nice medium-full mouthfeel, loads of incredibly fresh and delicious fruit, perfect acidity, very fine elegant ripe tannins, and impeccable balance (13% abv). There is excellent persistence on the very long finish. It drinks beautifully already, but should just gain complexity with time. 95+
Big nose here, raspberry and blackberry with a subtly jammy quality but staying on the right side of the ripeness line. Succulent fruit with (hopefully) the beginnings of a nice violet aroma. Pencilly finish. Will need to wait on this one, drinking from ~2031. 64 CS, 36M, 13% ABV. 91-92 points.
As of 2018, 51% of the shares are owned by the proprietor of Pedesclaux and Lafon Rochet.
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One of the summer's best evenings in terms of food + wine, where the sum really becomes 1+1=3. Locally produced sirloin steak and entrecôte from fantastic "Läckö Kött" (A local butchery). Two great wines, Utopos Cab 2018 is awesome, I already knew that, great warm grown Cab (and 10% Shiraz) from the Barossa Valley. D'Issan 2016 started a little restrained, it is a young wine of course. But after 3-4 hours, thinks starts to happens....what a wine! The dark fruit along with the minerality, lead pencil…wow. What strikes me is the wonderful perfume, which is of course a bit typical of Margaux. And this will only get better with time. Will wait for the next bottle at least 3-4 years. For the food, D'Issan's complexity beats Utopos, but sitting and sipping and just enjoying, the Utopos wins....today 👌🍷
Deep ruby with violet hue. Very peppery on nose and took some time to exhibit inky black fruits. Started tight and tannic, and took 2 hours before fruits could be assessed on the palate, and thereafter, a good combination of black cherry, cassis, and fresh cut grass. Medium finish. Definitely can benefit with severals years of cellaring
Paid $89.99. I normally am not partial to D'Issan. I drink wines much too young, and drinking D'Issan young is not at its best. However, with 2016s, I obtain a bottle to check if the excellence of 2016 was across all vineyards. It is, the D'Issan was excellent for me. Now, my son and wife felt it was too soft on the back end. I have gotten them to love the Medocs, so it is a lot of fun to see the effect of an excellent Margaux on them. Recommended.
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Dark fruits, but also so some red cherry. In the background there are some leather/tobacco notes. Medium to full-bodied, but theres good freshness and energy here. Drinking well now, but better in 10 years or so.
Opens up quickly with enchanting violet perfume, fresh blackcurrant jam, hint of mint, tarry minerals, leather which mingles seamlessly with the inteagrated cedary sweet oak.
Full bodied, rich and creamy, bright acidity and at just 13% abv, it has impeccable balance. Lots of floral, earth, dark chocolate, graphite and liquorice on the palate. Layered and palate enveloping. It is all about flavours of terroir here.
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d'Issan is one of my favorite, go-to Bordeaux producers. This vintage is a good example though it really is still too young go get a good impression of it. Medium-bodied, not as powerful and rich as some classic vintages like '05, '10 and '12 (a surprisingly amazing one for the vintage), but this still has all of the typical notes - creme de casis, some tobacco and a sweet black and blue fruit. I think the '15 is more expressive and showing better right now. Will try and forget about my remaining bottles for a few years.
2009-2019 Vertical Tasting with Jane Anson & Emmanuel Cruse
My key take-away of the evening was how consistently elegant this wine is across vintages. Some impressions by vintage (not all mine)
2009 – 92 points. 60% Cab Sav, 40% Merlot. Ripe fruit, eucalyptus, tobacco and chocolate. Very long finish, already drinking very well.
2010 - 93 points. 61% Cab Sav, 39% Merlot. More serious than the 2009, less fruit-forward, more herbaceous and more closed. Tannins not as well integrated and clearly earlier in its development. My favourite.
2014 - 90 points. 77% Cab Sav, 23% Merlot. Perhaps a lesser vintage (forgotten and great value according to the owner). Younger but in a way more evolved, with less fresh fruit, more liquorice and chocolate coming through on the nose. Maybe not the quality in the fruit and the finish of the other wines but very balanced and creamy none the less.Very enjoyable and ready to drink.
2015 - 93 points. 65% Cab Sav, 35% Merlot. The younger version of the 2010. More concentrated, richer in perfume and colour than the 2016.
2016 - 92 points. 64% Cab Sav, 36% Merlot. The younger version of the 2009. The cassis is charming complemented by floral notes, liquorice and chocolate. Very long mouthcoating finish.
2019 - 92 points. 70% Cab Sav, 30% Merlot. En primeur. I am not an experienced en primeur taster, and therefore, it was a surprise how easy drinking this unfinished wine already is. A very open nose with expressive fruit and floral notes and, obviously, alcohol but that will mellow down over time. Again elegant rather than overpowering. It looks like this is going to be delicious when it grows up.
The 2016, 64/36 has identical 13.4% alcohol to the 2019 and has a bit more heft. It is somewhat closed down, but has notes of licorice, cassis, spices and chocolate, and is more structured than the 2019, but not as racy or elegant. This will age well.
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Super primary right now, this needs a lot of time to integrate and soften. Very elegant tannins and a little bit of candy cherry fruit you'd expect from a pinot. Hold for at least 10 years. 95+
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(GG Wine Tasting, 1 Glass) - Surprisingly, probably one of the disappointing wines of the tasting. Raspberries and plums, smooth and soft with a short finish. Good but unmemorable.
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Dried cherries, teak furniture, blackberry, Logan berry, jerk chicken spice, celery seed and hot stone. So unique, this is at the same level as the charming ‘09 and surprising ‘12. Elegant and fine, with tannins of satin and a long, wide finish of fruit. Quite young and primal, this will of course age exceptionally well. The nose is a bit muted...so be a smart individual (unlike our hero) and wait. Drink 2026 -.
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64% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Merlot. 13% alcohol.
Tight and classic with truly seductive concentrated fruit of blackberries, black-currant, dark raspberries, dust, wet stones and cedar. Good full-bodied wine that still feels slim. Lovely juicy fresh berries with red fruit, plum peel, sweet wood and some animal tones. Really seamless tannins and gorgeous acidity. Very nice Issan. 94 points.
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Earthy, wet forest aromatics, truffle, dark cherries and herbs on the front end and a full-bodied, fresh, silky, sweet, polished, red pit fruit palate and finish on the backend. What more could you ask for in a terrific Margaux? This is showing just great today, and with aging, it promises to be even better. Give it 7-9 years in the bottle and enjoy it over the next 15-20 years or longer. The wine was made from blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot.
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Less enthused than at the previous encounter. Generic but still very good. Closing down? Some markers of cassis, tobacco and oak. Don’t open for at least 10 years. Potential is there, just not yet.
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Great Bordeaux 2016 Tasting: Tasted cherries, red fruits, violets, spices. Flavours have came together well for such a young wine. Great showing. One of the best for me at today’s Bordeaux 2016 tasting.
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Hearts Delight 2016 Bordeaux Tasting (Hay Adams - Washington, DC): Dark core of black cherry and cassis fruit on a frame of sturdy tannins. Lots of spicy tones and violets as well. Tannins are a bit more intense than the other Margauxs in the tasting, but the balance is still very nice, and this has a lot of non-fruit complexity to come out with time.
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Fleshy, raspberry fruit - delightfully lush fruit but without the floral character that makes Margaux so desirable. Nevertheless, there's plenty of material and the balance is good, so cause for optimism. 92
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With the structure to age, freshness which offers lift to all the ripe, sweet, red fruits and the added nuanced complexities you find on the nose and the palate, this is a top-flight example of d'Issan. The wine will demand at least a decade in the cellar.
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BBR 2016 Bordeaux tasting (London): Fine concentration and ripe primary fruit nose. Lovely freshness and near perfect balance. Great soft wine with a very good QPR. This is easily the best Issan I have tasted. 94-96p
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Barrel sample at en primeur tasting last month. Distinctive Margaux violet nose. Lighter in colour than many of the wines. Sweet soft fruit and tannins. Very good length and balance. A charmer.
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Dark in color with strong floral aromatics that escalate with smoke, espresso, licorice, dark cherry and cassis, this wine is full-bodied, plush, opulent and richly textured with loads of sweet, pure, dark red fruits. From a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Merlot, this wine reached 13.24% alcohol with a pH of 3.71. Now aging in 50% new, French oak barrels, it represents 45% of the harvest, which took place from September 29 to October 19.
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I was expecting more elegance. But there are floral aspects that please the senses - and in my group, I was being a bit hard on the wine. Keep in mind that 2015 was fantastic. The nose exudes Margaux even if the tannins are somewhat more "Pauillac like". In the end, tasting again over a 20-minute period, it comes across as suave and refined enough. 89-91+
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Deep purple colour. Lifted nose showing aromas of ripe black berries, ripe black currants, dark plums and clove.
It is dry in the mouth with a fresh acidity. It has a moderate alcohol and firm coarse tannins. It has a medium+ body and pronounced intensity flavours. The finish is long.
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4/1/2024 - sboyle Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lots of flower aromas of roses and violets with notes of cherries. Tannins are medium-plus with a fine character. The wine tasted better at a hour decant vs 4 hours where it started to lose some of its floral character, however it did smooth out with the extra time.
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2/28/2024 - Bam_Man wrote: 92 Points
Brought with us to Seared 1200 steakhouse in St. Pete Beach, so this did not get a lengthy decanting. A very attractive, semi-opaque magenta in color - right up to the edge. The nose on this was just fabulous. Very pretty and captivating scents of flowers, earth and cedar fill the glass. Extremely elegant in texture and weight. Offers a delicious combination of tangy plum and dark currant fruit, deftly matched to a moderate acidity. There’s good depth to the mid-palate. Complex notes of iron, mineral and coffee grace the long, polished finish. The dusty tannins are integrating nicely. Poised, well-balanced and delicious. This is a charming, textbook Margaux with a distinctly old-school feel.
50+5+13+17+7=92
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2/17/2024 - twotee wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for air, but there was a little sediment too. Lovely wine in a nice place if still wanting a few layers that age will certainly bring. Dark fruit veiled by graphite and spiciness. Glad I have more in the cellar. The texture stole the show. Silky without being too soft, firm and structured without being awkward. Tense yet full. Good concentration. Had with pizza and salads and while it might have paired better with something more substantial, overall worked well. Want to wait a while on the next bottle.
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2/7/2024 - Anders T Likes this wine: 93 Points
93+
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12/26/2023 - dream Likes this wine: 92 Points
While youthful, this has already integrated enough to show well with a 3-hour decant. There is a lovely Margaux floral bouquet and flavor profile with an almost creamy-fine texture that makes this go so well with leg of lamb. The finish shows very refined tannins with notes of blackberry spice and a touch of leather. A very fine-boned and lacy Margaux in the making. 92+
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12/5/2023 - Hwmyones Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ordered a bottle at a wonderful bistro in Bordeaux. Very earthy. Lots of blackberry and currant. Will be an absolutely stunning wine in a few years. Still excellent. Also, brasserie Bordelaise is a wonderful stop in Bordeaux if you make it here
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12/4/2023 - marco_graz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great intense red coor with purple reflex, it had a super complex nose with leather, hearthy, tomatoes leave, mature cherry, a little chocolate and coffee. On the palate it's incredibly powerful with rough tannins compensated by a M+ acidity and followed by a very long finish. I give 93 but it can get up till 95 in few years.
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11/7/2023 - EXPLORER 825 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep cherry red color with hints of purple on pouring ….somewhat opaque in clarity.
Classic Margaux blend of Cab. Sauvignon and Merlot (64/36%).
Engaging aromas of leather, cassis, blackberries, tobacco and touch of mint.
Medium bodied mouthfeel with expressive fruit flavors noted above.
Complex texture of the wine with smoothness at mid palate.
Well balanced acidity with long finish.
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10/30/2023 - Jake Barnes Likes this wine: 93 Points
Purchased at retail as a result of a number of recent CT reviews. Wow. Although structured for a long, long life, this bottle was drinking pretty well. Everything was in place, and the tannins were very ripe, so there was very little issue with early consumption. You could tell the fruit was slightly obscured and the finish a little shortened by the structure, but that’s to be expected at this stage. It showed leather and layers of blackberries, cassis, and a whiff of spearmint on the nose and big bowls of blackberry compote and cassis on the very well-endowed palate. Quite a wine.
My score is for today, but I can easily see this hitting Jane Anson’s predicted 97/100 in maturity. I really must have some of this for the cellar. 13% ABV (great; distinctive/****/17/93)
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10/20/2023 - Chupeaka Likes this wine: 94 Points
Half-bottle 375ml.
Nose of black cherry, blackberries, bramble, mushrooms, truffle, wet bark, and a slight floral edge. Excellent tannin-acid balance, savory (mineral and salty) and midpalate is rich with perfume and a touch of espresso/cocoa. Medium to medium-full bodied.
Finish is elegant, long, and sustained.
93++ rounded up to 94 for CT rating. Could be a bit more concentrated in texture and flavor. Excited to try the 2020s and beyond when they age w/ inclusion of old vine petit verdot and new sources of cabernet franc and malbec.
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10/14/2023 - Rugun Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark fruit, leather and hint of cacao. Great wine
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9/21/2023 - bdisk1235 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Delicious wine. The tannin is prominent but integrated, and flavors of blackberry, red cherry and raspberry are primary, with a very tiny hint of some aged characteristics. The wine coats the entire palate and is incredibly well balanced. This will last for a long time.
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9/8/2023 - trumpet60201 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Almost a year since my last review of this wine - I need to keep my hands off of these for a while, but they are just so good... See my last review for details. This bottle showed the same as the one last year - prototypical elegance and balance. The tannins are still very present, but are ripe and don't dry things out too much. Hold if you have the patience, otherwise enjoy.
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5/18/2023 - Musinus wrote: 90 Points
Medium purple color. Pleasing bouquet of pencil lead, currants, blueberries, violets with emerging blood/leather and a hint of cinnamon. Palate in transitional phase of vague, slightly bitter-tinged mixed berries. Minimal finish at this point; nice aromas but lackluster palate impression.
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3/25/2023 - Ruach Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is a really delicious wine. It has a deep garnet color that shows it has a little age, but it still tastes youthful. It lingers on the palet for a while very pleasantly with nice balance and a soft, silky tannin. Aromas of raspberry, blackberry and currant. I am excited to see this age further as well because it clearly seems like it has years of development left in the bottle.
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3/21/2023 - DPetrone Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drinks surprisingly well, light body in a good way. Will definitely show great things in few years
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3/15/2023 - burlingtonm Likes this wine: 94 Points
Suckling Wines of the World in Miami: this was one of the highlights of the tasting and drinking beautifully with all the elements in balance: medium body, rich, ripe fruit, the tannins well integrated and good length.
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1/19/2023 - Condrieu82 Likes this wine: 92 Points
This was a present from a coworker. Decanted 3 hours. Nose of blackberries and sweet tobacco, with touches of alcohol. Beautiful palate with medium acidity and silky tannins - very balanced and ready to drink now - with dense dark fruit, cherries, tobacco leaves, and oak on the ending. Excellent now - but wait 3-4 years if you can.
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1/8/2023 - Wine_Hoarder wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful with lamb shish kebab. Possibly infanticide but this is so very drinkable now with a 1-hour decant. I have smashed through my stash of 4 bottles in 1 year. No regrets really.
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12/16/2022 - RoosterBird Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is a fantastic bottle of Bordeaux. It was a little restrained the night that I opened it, showing boisterous blackberry and very silky tannins, but it also showed me that it had a lot to unfurl as each pour opened up substantially in the glass. With ~24 hrs of air, this wine is world class - the black fruit has developed into a red/black currant note that has been balanced out by tobacco and cedar notes, with a hint of minerality at the core. The tannins and acidity have also both come online in day 2, but give structure to the wine vs overwhelm it.
I have a second bottle that I will try to keep my hands off of for a decade or longer, as this will clearly go the distance.
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11/4/2022 - jtreger wrote: 95 Points
Brambly dark fruit, tobacco leaf, violets, gravel, cracked peppercorn, and just the barest hint of bell pepper on the nose. Currants, blackberries, and dusty tannins on the palate with great mineral quality as well. Finish is quite long, notes of licorice, pepper and more dusty tannin. The balance on this wine is impeccable, great classic bordeaux. Definitely still youthful and reticent today, will wait 3-5 years before the next bottle. But it should age into a seriously excellent wine.
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10/16/2022 - trumpet60201 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Medium bodied wine with a complex nose of black currants, blackberries, some very subtle plummy/blueberry notes, five spice, white pepper, chocolate, cigar box, roses, violets, and very well integrated elegant oak (toast and praline). On the palate, a nice medium-full mouthfeel, loads of incredibly fresh and delicious fruit, perfect acidity, very fine elegant ripe tannins, and impeccable balance (13% abv). There is excellent persistence on the very long finish. It drinks beautifully already, but should just gain complexity with time. 95+
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9/25/2022 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
Big nose here, raspberry and blackberry with a subtly jammy quality but staying on the right side of the ripeness line. Succulent fruit with (hopefully) the beginnings of a nice violet aroma. Pencilly finish. Will need to wait on this one, drinking from ~2031. 64 CS, 36M, 13% ABV. 91-92 points.
As of 2018, 51% of the shares are owned by the proprietor of Pedesclaux and Lafon Rochet.
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8/2/2022 - SirJ Likes this wine: 96 Points
One of the summer's best evenings in terms of food + wine, where the sum really becomes 1+1=3. Locally produced sirloin steak and entrecôte from fantastic "Läckö Kött" (A local butchery).
Two great wines, Utopos Cab 2018 is awesome, I already knew that, great warm grown Cab (and 10% Shiraz) from the Barossa Valley.
D'Issan 2016 started a little restrained, it is a young wine of course. But after 3-4 hours, thinks starts to happens....what a wine! The dark fruit along with the minerality, lead pencil…wow. What strikes me is the wonderful perfume, which is of course a bit typical of Margaux. And this will only get better with time. Will wait for the next bottle at least 3-4 years.
For the food, D'Issan's complexity beats Utopos, but sitting and sipping and just enjoying, the Utopos wins....today 👌🍷
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7/23/2022 - BrionHammond Likes this wine: 94 Points
Elegance and beauty of Margaux terrior. Even this young this shines
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5/22/2022 - jkutter Likes this wine:
Excellent; strong notes of rose petals and gravel- a classic Margaux.
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5/12/2022 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Similar to previous notes.
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5/2/2022 - vinhonotte Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep ruby with violet hue. Very peppery on nose and took some time to exhibit inky black fruits. Started tight and tannic, and took 2 hours before fruits could be assessed on the palate, and thereafter, a good combination of black cherry, cassis, and fresh cut grass. Medium finish. Definitely can benefit with severals years of cellaring
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3/13/2022 - PSanDiego Likes this wine: 95 Points
Paid $89.99. I normally am not partial to D'Issan. I drink wines much too young, and drinking D'Issan young is not at its best. However, with 2016s, I obtain a bottle to check if the excellence of 2016 was across all vineyards. It is, the D'Issan was excellent for me. Now, my son and wife felt it was too soft on the back end. I have gotten them to love the Medocs, so it is a lot of fun to see the effect of an excellent Margaux on them. Recommended.
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9/10/2021 - B Paul wrote:
Dark fruits, but also so some red cherry. In the background there are some leather/tobacco notes. Medium to full-bodied, but theres good freshness and energy here. Drinking well now, but better in 10 years or so.
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5/28/2021 - wineappellation Likes this wine: 94 Points
Opens up quickly with enchanting violet perfume, fresh blackcurrant jam, hint of mint, tarry minerals, leather which mingles seamlessly with the inteagrated cedary sweet oak.
Full bodied, rich and creamy, bright acidity and at just 13% abv, it has impeccable balance. Lots of floral, earth, dark chocolate, graphite and liquorice on the palate. Layered and palate enveloping. It is all about flavours of terroir here.
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5/20/2021 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
d'Issan is one of my favorite, go-to Bordeaux producers. This vintage is a good example though it really is still too young go get a good impression of it. Medium-bodied, not as powerful and rich as some classic vintages like '05, '10 and '12 (a surprisingly amazing one for the vintage), but this still has all of the typical notes - creme de casis, some tobacco and a sweet black and blue fruit. I think the '15 is more expressive and showing better right now. Will try and forget about my remaining bottles for a few years.
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7/4/2020 - JS79 Likes this wine: 93 Points
67PM tasting with Emmanuel Cruse
Standout long finish of 19,16,15,14,10,09. Like melted chocolate coating mouth.
Floral but closed nose, still candied fruit, one for the future.
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6/9/2020 - Stadshagen Conoisseur Likes this wine: 94 Points
Young but surprisingly easy to drink. Round taste, excellent balance and long aftertaste. Cedar wood, cherries and great freshness.
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5/15/2020 - tmagsmaken wrote: 92 Points
67 Pall Mall Virtual Wine Tasting
2009-2019 Vertical Tasting with Jane Anson & Emmanuel Cruse
My key take-away of the evening was how consistently elegant this wine is across vintages. Some impressions by vintage (not all mine)
2009 – 92 points. 60% Cab Sav, 40% Merlot. Ripe fruit, eucalyptus, tobacco and chocolate. Very long finish, already drinking very well.
2010 - 93 points. 61% Cab Sav, 39% Merlot. More serious than the 2009, less fruit-forward, more herbaceous and more closed. Tannins not as well integrated and clearly earlier in its development. My favourite.
2014 - 90 points. 77% Cab Sav, 23% Merlot. Perhaps a lesser vintage (forgotten and great value according to the owner). Younger but in a way more evolved, with less fresh fruit, more liquorice and chocolate coming through on the nose. Maybe not the quality in the fruit and the finish of the other wines but very balanced and creamy none the less.Very enjoyable and ready to drink.
2015 - 93 points. 65% Cab Sav, 35% Merlot. The younger version of the 2010. More concentrated, richer in perfume and colour than the 2016.
2016 - 92 points. 64% Cab Sav, 36% Merlot. The younger version of the 2009. The cassis is charming complemented by floral notes, liquorice and chocolate. Very long mouthcoating finish.
2019 - 92 points. 70% Cab Sav, 30% Merlot. En primeur. I am not an experienced en primeur taster, and therefore, it was a surprise how easy drinking this unfinished wine already is. A very open nose with expressive fruit and floral notes and, obviously, alcohol but that will mellow down over time. Again elegant rather than overpowering. It looks like this is going to be delicious when it grows up.
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5/14/2020 - Comte Flaneur wrote: 93 Points
The 2016, 64/36 has identical 13.4% alcohol to the 2019 and has a bit more heft. It is somewhat closed down, but has notes of licorice, cassis, spices and chocolate, and is more structured than the 2019, but not as racy or elegant. This will age well.
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4/26/2020 - Margaux Bro Likes this wine: 95 Points
Super primary right now, this needs a lot of time to integrate and soften. Very elegant tannins and a little bit of candy cherry fruit you'd expect from a pinot. Hold for at least 10 years. 95+
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3/10/2020 - Ianjaig wrote: 90 Points
(GG Wine Tasting, 1 Glass) - Surprisingly, probably one of the disappointing wines of the tasting. Raspberries and plums, smooth and soft with a short finish. Good but unmemorable.
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3/7/2020 - chatters wrote:
Langtons Chateaux of Bordeaux (Luna Park, Milsons Point): Hmm, smells quite merlot dominant, a little farty, cheesy, slight biscuit. Juicy and fleshy but a little hmm on the palate.
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12/27/2019 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 95 Points
Dried cherries, teak furniture, blackberry, Logan berry, jerk chicken spice, celery seed and hot stone. So unique, this is at the same level as the charming ‘09 and surprising ‘12. Elegant and fine, with tannins of satin and a long, wide finish of fruit. Quite young and primal, this will of course age exceptionally well. The nose is a bit muted...so be a smart individual (unlike our hero) and wait. Drink 2026 -.
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11/28/2019 - Andre Brattland wrote: 94 Points
64% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Merlot. 13% alcohol.
Tight and classic with truly seductive concentrated fruit of blackberries, black-currant, dark raspberries, dust, wet stones and cedar. Good full-bodied wine that still feels slim. Lovely juicy fresh berries with red fruit, plum peel, sweet wood and some animal tones. Really seamless tannins and gorgeous acidity. Very nice Issan. 94 points.
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9/21/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Earthy, wet forest aromatics, truffle, dark cherries and herbs on the front end and a full-bodied, fresh, silky, sweet, polished, red pit fruit palate and finish on the backend. What more could you ask for in a terrific Margaux? This is showing just great today, and with aging, it promises to be even better. Give it 7-9 years in the bottle and enjoy it over the next 15-20 years or longer. The wine was made from blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot.
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9/9/2019 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Less enthused than at the previous encounter. Generic but still very good. Closing down? Some markers of cassis, tobacco and oak. Don’t open for at least 10 years. Potential is there, just not yet.
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8/24/2019 - dnnk88 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great Bordeaux 2016 Tasting: Tasted cherries, red fruits, violets, spices. Flavours have came together well for such a young wine. Great showing. One of the best for me at today’s Bordeaux 2016 tasting.
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3/8/2019 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 93 Points
Hearts Delight 2016 Bordeaux Tasting (Hay Adams - Washington, DC): Dark core of black cherry and cassis fruit on a frame of sturdy tannins. Lots of spicy tones and violets as well. Tannins are a bit more intense than the other Margauxs in the tasting, but the balance is still very nice, and this has a lot of non-fruit complexity to come out with time.
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3/8/2019 - englishman's claret wrote: 92 Points
Fleshy, raspberry fruit - delightfully lush fruit but without the floral character that makes Margaux so desirable. Nevertheless, there's plenty of material and the balance is good, so cause for optimism. 92
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3/7/2019 - curtr Likes this wine: 93 Points
My favorite Margaux of the tasting. Medium body, nice balance, great potential. Try again in 7-10 years.
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5/20/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
With the structure to age, freshness which offers lift to all the ripe, sweet, red fruits and the added nuanced complexities you find on the nose and the palate, this is a top-flight example of d'Issan. The wine will demand at least a decade in the cellar.
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7/5/2017 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine: 95 Points
BBR 2016 Bordeaux tasting (London): Fine concentration and ripe primary fruit nose. Lovely freshness and near perfect balance. Great soft wine with a very good QPR. This is easily the best Issan I have tasted. 94-96p
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6/9/2017 - wineforth Likes this wine: 95 Points
Barrel sample at en primeur tasting last month. Distinctive Margaux violet nose. Lighter in colour than many of the wines. Sweet soft fruit and tannins. Very good length and balance. A charmer.
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4/29/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Dark in color with strong floral aromatics that escalate with smoke, espresso, licorice, dark cherry and cassis, this wine is full-bodied, plush, opulent and richly textured with loads of sweet, pure, dark red fruits. From a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Merlot, this wine reached 13.24% alcohol with a pH of 3.71. Now aging in 50% new, French oak barrels, it represents 45% of the harvest, which took place from September 29 to October 19.
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3/30/2017 - PanosKakaviatos Likes this wine: 90 Points
I was expecting more elegance. But there are floral aspects that please the senses - and in my group, I was being a bit hard on the wine. Keep in mind that 2015 was fantastic. The nose exudes Margaux even if the tannins are somewhat more "Pauillac like". In the end, tasting again over a 20-minute period, it comes across as suave and refined enough. 89-91+
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3/14/2017 - Man in Black wrote:
Cask sample, lacking the las tasting and blend.
Deep purple colour. Lifted nose showing aromas of ripe black berries, ripe black currants, dark plums and clove.
It is dry in the mouth with a fresh acidity. It has a moderate alcohol and firm coarse tannins. It has a medium+ body and pronounced intensity flavours. The finish is long.
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