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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.4 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 61 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by johnrm on 1/18/2024 & rated 91 points: Fully ready. Drinking very well now but has a good future ahead of it. (590 views) | | | Tasted by Paul@bbott on 12/25/2023 & rated 91 points: Very good, cedar and blackcurrant, medium weight. A delightful cru bourgeois. (536 views) | | | Tasted by johnrm on 8/28/2023 & rated 91 points: Almost a year on from our last bottle. Deep, opaque colour with no discernable browning. For once, I tasted it as soon as I opened it and got excellent fruit but also savoury, smoky notes with surprising flavours of chorizo on nose and palate. Dark fruits took over on the nose but some savoury character remained. The palate showed soft dark fruits and tannins with complexity, spice, and very good balance. A star buy en primeur and well worth cellaring until now. Lovely wine.
Note. A quarter bottle was retained and tasted next evening. It was still very enjoyable indeed - good dark fruit (more damson now), spice, smooth tannins (with cedar emerging). (892 views) | | | Tasted by ThompsonandFrench on 8/15/2023 & rated 92 points: Just lovely. 1 hour decant thru Rabbit. That much more resolved than a year ago. Nice balance. Fruit has receded somewhat. I wonder if this is reaching its plateau? Move to drinking shelf. (1024 views) | | | Tasted by gout on 8/13/2023 & rated 90 points: FUll red colour to edge, well developed nose, smooth entry, good fruit & balance with good length. Drinking well. (924 views) | | | Tasted by msauer on 2/19/2023 & rated 88 points: impeccable , gouleyant (1238 views) | | | Tasted by johnrm on 9/24/2022 & rated 90 points: Uncorked a few hours early and it began to open nicely. Good with food (slightly spiced slow-cooked lamb) but even better on its own later as the nose and palate slowly opened showing dark fruit, spice, soft tannin and its ever-developing complexity. I still have a case and a half and look forward to enjoying it as it matures over the next decade or more.
As I have said before, do give Cissac time to open. Don’t expect to get the full story from the off. 90+ (1668 views) | | | Tasted by Neddy9 on 9/20/2022 & rated 90 points: I bought a case of this wine several years ago at a relative bargain 'indent' price and have been patiently watching its progress. Like the 2009, it is not yet ready, while the 2011 is more advanced.
Great level, excellent cork and only just stained on the end. Lovely deep, intense black/red colour and a bouquet that says 'intense black fruit, cedar/cigar box' in a still primary way, but heading towards secondary character development. I did anticipate that at 12 years of age from a lesser appellation, that this might be further along the development path, with more perfumed mid palate fruit, but it's not yet and I'm happy to see it progress further. There is quite lovely velvety fruit across the palate, with a savoury edge, which follows through to a firmish finish, where the tannins are still prominent but not out of balance. With some lamb, it was enjoyable to try and note the potential. Friends drank one of these at 25+ years age recently and said it was brilliant, so I'm happy to sit on my remaining bottles for another 8-10 years. This wine has just recently been re-offered as a 'from the Chateau release' in Melbourne, Australia for A$99.00 (1449 views) | | | Tasted by ThompsonandFrench on 8/14/2022 & rated 85 points: Decanted thru rabbit 2 hours prior. Very good value. A very warm wine. Stewed blackcurrants, but not unpleasantly! (1675 views) | | | Tasted by johnrm on 7/2/2022 & rated 91 points: As my previous notes.
Opened 6h early and the wine still opened and improved in the glass over a few hours. Not to be rushed.
The wine softened and the fruit/tannin balance shifted to emphasise the dark, rich fruit with time but the spice and complexity remained. Good on its own, given time, and really excellent with food (braised, spiced lamb).
Next day, it was softer but dusty tannins were prominent on the end palate at first. However, it was very good with food given a little time in the glass. (1650 views) | | | Tasted by johnrm on 4/17/2022 & rated 90 points: Opened 5h early, as usual. Restrained nose, good colour. The palate showed plenty of interest with rich, almost meaty flavours and herbs (parsley was prominent but unexpected). The fruit was not as prominent as anticipated at first but the tannins had softened since first opening becoming better integrated with the soft acidity.
After more time in the glass, the nose opened to show rich dark fruits (hints of red fruit, too) and violets. The palate began to develop fully and the ‘sweet’ dark fruits were more attractive. The palate came into focus with a fine balance of fruit, tannin, acidity, and good length. Glad we have the rest of a case remaining.
Excellent with pink roast lamb.
Don’t pop and pour. Give it plenty of time after opening - in this case, at least 6h. It would probably have been good next day but it was too good to keep until then. Plenty of years ahead. 90++ (1408 views) | | | Tasted by winebunch on 3/25/2022 & rated 90 points: Pinched from my dads cellar. Aged nicely - in a nice spot where it has gained complexity but still has a silky, textural quality from the ripe fruit and tannins. Perfect Sunday evening wine (1163 views) | | | Tasted by G.O. on 11/19/2021 & rated 88 points: After two hours of decanting. Rather simple wine without much of extract. However, it was a perfect companion to pork chop. (1693 views) | | | Tasted by Keith Cooper on 7/26/2021 & rated 91 points: Following on from my previous notes, this is still drinking superbly. This time served with roast lamb. Dark plum colour. Plenty of blackcurrant, aniseed and spice on the nose. Smooth and silky palate, good cabernet fruit showing, leathery, long finish. (1950 views) | | | Tasted by johnrm on 4/17/2021 & rated 90 points: Opened 4h early. Good colour with quite powerful fruit on the nose, and a smooth palate with plenty of dark cherry, blackberry, blackcurrant, and spice. Good balance of fruit and acidity. Good on its own but the soft tannins were noticeable on the end palate at first, making it good with food (roasted duck breast). They were much softer later. Definitely ready. Nice. (1992 views) | | | Tasted by sigge on 1/10/2021 & rated 91 points: Deep dark color. Attractive nose with Cassis, toast, coffee and smoke - cassis and smoke dominates. Medium body but with rich taste and surpricingly long length - dry. This was much better than expected. (2395 views) | | | Tasted by Keith Cooper on 10/18/2020 & rated 92 points: This wine is now at the peak of its drinking window and it's absolutely delicious. Opened one hour before drinking, but not decanted. Medium ruby colour. Lovely nose of herbs (sage), toffee and hedgerow fruit. The palate is full, soft, rounded, earthy and well balanced. The wine went on to develop beautifully over a couple of hours (but no longer). Excellent! (2539 views) | | | Tasted by BillLowney on 3/30/2020 & rated 88 points: Two hour decant. Drunk over two days. Red-fruited and sharp. Drinks like it is 'going through a phase'. This has lost a yard or two in the last couple of years. Decent midweek fare but not the superstar it once was. (2925 views) | | | Tasted by Kiranonwine on 3/1/2020: Fruit, toast, tasty! (2613 views) | | | Tasted by johnrm on 1/17/2020 & rated 91 points: The first of 24 so I had hopes for this. Over many decades as a fan, I have found that Cissac usually takes years to begin to show and rarely rewards impatience (even though current winemaking tends to produce fruitier claret that develops earlier).
Immediately after decanting it showed a spicy nose with dark fruit. Good fruit on the palate - blackberry, blackcurrant, cherries. Unusually juicy (which made it taste a little less rich than expected at first) but it filled out with time, even without food. Dusty tannins at first but these softened very quickly in the glass. It did not open or begin to show its best until an hour or two after opening. Not a wine to 'pop and pour'.
Later, the wine gave great pleasure. The spice and dark fruit remained on the increasingly fragrant nose and the palate opened out showing some plums as well as dark cherries. The tannins softened and integrated and the palate was very soft and attractive, still 'juicy' but increasingly rich and 'sweet', with good balance. It is very good now but promises well for the years ahead.
Later, it improved further and was really superb with a rare fillet steak. It has reinforced my faith in Cissac. Not to be rushed (either to open or to drink after opening).
Note. This wine was included in a comparative tasting a couple of weeks later. It was closed and tannic at first but more attractive after having 8+ hours to open. It does need time, trust me. (2502 views) | | | Tasted by Zazzaman on 11/13/2019 & rated 90 points: 2 recent bottles confirm the style and value of this Cissac. Refined blackcurrant fruit with hints of herbs on the nose, with big rich fruit on the palate, medium length with a good finish. Not overly complex but a reliable Left Bank style wine that is currently delicious to drink. (2445 views) | | | Tasted by DrZett on 9/23/2019 & rated 89 points: Already in a nice drinking spot, no need to decant here in my opinion. (2433 views) | | | Tasted by hjort on 7/11/2019 & rated 90 points: deep red to black in collor. bouquet of coffe an mocca. closed but open up open a bit up with air. some hint of herbs and green paprika. a lot of fruit and acid. solid taste and prude long finish that fill the whole mouth . dry tannins. will wait a few year for next one. (1943 views) | | | Tasted by Stefan75 on 5/8/2019 & rated 89 points: good structure and a pleasure to drink w/o decant, evolves quickly in the glass, drying tannins on day 2.... (2170 views) | | | Tasted by mcease on 10/7/2018 & rated 88 points: Upon opening not much going on. Cherries on the pallet. After an hour it opened up. Oak and cherry on nose, minerality, stone, cherry and a tannic grippy finish. 87-88 points. (2877 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (6/23/2019)
(Ch Cissac Haut-Médoc Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Panel Tasting
Decanter, Haut-Médoc 2010 (10/4/2018)
(Château Cissac, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By David Lawrason
WineAlign (9/7/2014)
(Château Cissac, Ac Haut Médoc red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (1/23/2014)
(Ch Cissac Haut-Médoc Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, November 2012 (11/1/2012)
(Château Cissac Haut-Médoc Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Chris Kissack
Winedoctor, November 2012 (11/1/2012)
(Château Cissac Haut-Médoc Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (9/21/2012)
(Ch Cissac Haut-Médoc Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JancisRobinson.com and Decanter and WineAlign and Winedoctor. (manage subscription channels) |
| Château Cissac Producer website - Read more about Chateau Cissac2010 Château CissacFrom the Producer's website:
70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot.
Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanMédoc Vins du Médoc (Conseil des Vins du Médoc) - Read More about the Medoc
VdB
The eight precisely defined appellations of the whole of the Médoc (from Blanquefort Brook to the north of the Bordeaux built-up area, almost to the Pointe de Grave) may claim the Médoc appellation. But there is also a specific territory in the north of the peninsula which produces exclusively wines with this appellation. In the great majority, the Médocs come from the north of the peninsula. The great individuality of this region is that the number of vines has increased more recently here than elsewhere, apart from a few isolated spots where vines have grown for many years. Today, the size of the small estate has brought about the development of a powerful co-operative movement. Four co-operatives out of five belong to the group called Unimédoc which ensures aging, bottling and marketing a large proportion of their wines.Haut-Médoc Read more about Haut Medoc and its wines Long-standing fame The legally created division into Médoc and Haut-Médoc dates from 1935. But as long ago as 1815 a Chartrons broker, whose word carried weight, spoke of great red wines in the Haut-Médoc, so recognizing the high quality successfully achieved by this region's growers in the eighteenth century. The same Bordeaux broker revealed that the business world of the Chartrons and the great Bordeaux proprietors had established a sort of league-table of the parishes in which the vine-growing communes of today's Haut-Médoc appellation showed up well.
The Haut-Médoc appellation stretches over some thirty seven miles from north to south, from Saint-Seurin de Cadourne to Blanquefort. Within this area, certain zones produce wines exclusively with the Haut-Médoc appellation. It has terroirs of remarkable quality. And although we may note a certain predominance of layers of gravel (essentially Garonne gravel) from the Quaternary, all these sites are characterized by their wide diversity. Today in the southernmost communes of the appellation, the suburbs of Bordeaux, numerous vineyards which existed at the beginning of the twentieth century have disappeared, victims of urban expansion. But the vines live on... because man has retained his devotion to them.
The astonishing variety of different terroirs, the result of the very extent of the area, explains the diversity of Haut-Médoc wines, a fact which is rare within one and the same appellation.
But, over and above the differences, linked to this mosaic of climatic and geological influence, all these wines have the same family traits of character.
Alert and lively, full-bodied without being too powerful, and harmoniously balanced, they acquire a rare bouquet over the years.
In order to have the right to the Haut-Médoc appellation of controlled origin, red wines must:
- come from the communes of Blanquefort, Le Taillan, Parempuyre, Le Pian, Ludon, Macau, Arsac, Labarde, Cantenac, Margaux, Avensan, Castelnau, Soussans, Arcins, Moulis, Listrac, Lamarque, Cussac, Saint-Laurent de Médoc, Saint-Julien, Pauillac, Saint-Sauveur, Cissac, Saint-Estèphe, Vertheuil, Saint-Seurin de Cadourne "excluding all the parcels situated on recent alluvium and sand on impermeable subsoils",
- satisfy precise production conditions : grape-varieties (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Cabernet-Franc, Carmenère, Merlot Noir, Petit Verdot, Cot or Malbec), minimum of sugar (178 grammes - 6.27 oz. - per litre of must) degree (an acquired 10°5) base yield (48 hectolitres per hectare).
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