History
From the earliest times, two estates have dominated the region of Margaux, that of La Mothe-Margaux, and La Mothe-Cantenac, which today have become Chateau Margaux and Chateau d’Issan. Chateau d'Issan has considerable history, and somewhat romantically a number of writers describe the chateau as resembling the castle of Sleeping Beauty.In fact Chateau d’ Issan is one of the oldest in the Medoc. The original fortress was Chateau Teobon, just one part of a succession of battlements on high ground which lined the Gironde. The earliest recorded owners were the Noalhan family, who held the rights to the seigneurie of Cantenac, and who bequeathed the estate to Thomas de Meyrac. It remained with this family until the early 16th Century, passing to Jean de Meyrac, the son, and then to Isabeau de Meyrac. Isabeau married Giron de Ségur, and thus the property was absorbed into the massive Ségur estate, which also included Lafite, Latour and for a while also Mouton. The estate passed through this family to their granddaughter who married into the Salignac family in 1527, and from here it passed to the Ferrière and then the Lalanne families.In the mid-17th Century it came to Pierre d'Essenhault, a knight and local parliamentarian, as part of the dowry of Marguerite de Lalanne. It was d'Essenhault who demolished the old castle and replaced it with the aforementioned moated lodge which still stands today, and thus the property took on his name, albeit an abridged version. The newlyweds and their descendants resided here until 1760, when the property was acquired by a local councillor named Castelnau, the estate subsequently being divided between the Castelnau and Candale families in 1776. The latter took the chateau, renaming it Chateau de Candale. By this time the vineyard was undoubtedly well established, documents showing that d'Issan was one of the earliest classed growth properties to be established, with wines exported to foreign markets, including the UK. They were recommended for the cellars of the Prince of Wales in a letter from a Bordeaux merchant in 1723, and found favour with Thomas Jefferson who makes reference to the estate in a letter he wrote in 1787. The early wines from d'Issan were clearly of some repute.The two families continued to hold tenure at d'Issan through to the 18th Century, until the two parts of the vineyard were acquired by Justin Duluc in 1825. Duluc instigated revitalisation of the vineyard, before selling it on for a considerable profit in 1850 to a gentleman named Blancy, and it was under his tenure that the estate was classified as a third growth in the 1855 classification of Bordeaux. His descendents sold the estate to Gustave Roy, who also owned Brane-Cantenac, in 1866.Roy was a wealthy Parisian who had made his fortune in the manufacture and sale of textiles. He was an absentee landlord, yet despite this the wines continued to enjoy a good reputation during his ownership of the estate. Under the able administration of Gustave Roy, a magnificient vineyard on gravel, the great Cru Classe of 1855, was maintained in excellent condition about fifty years. Remarkable cellars and vat-houses were constructed, making Issan a unique entity cited as a perfect example everywhere. His descendants managed Chateau d'Issan until the early 20th Century. It was not sold on until 1914, the purchaser being a M. Grange, who also owned nearby Giscours. Having survived phylloxera and mildew in the late 19th Century, however, both the quantity and quality of the wines deteriorated under the tenure of Grange, no doubt compounded by the ensuing economic depression and war. During World War II the chateau was occupied by German troops, as were many of the grand buildings of Bordeaux, and by the time peace arrived it was in a sorry state, as were the vineyards. D’ Issan underwent an eclipse for nearly forty years and it is in 1945 that Monsieur and Madame Emmanuel Cruse, of the famous Cruse dynasty took an estate in pitiful condition and a Chateau ravaged by the elements. At the time, it was an urgent matter to replant the vineyard. The cellars, too, had to be reconstructed, the vat-house fitted out with modern equipment and finally the wine-workers house had to be modernized.Robert Parker has praised young Emmanuel Cruse for a superb job reestablishing this estate as one of the stars of Margaux. There was much work to be done, including replanting the vineyards and re-equipping the dilapidated cellars. Even today, fifty years later, improvements are still being made to perfect the vineyard’s upkeep and to obtain the most efficient vinification techniques. The Cruse family still owns the property today, with Eric Pellon working as general manager. The effort and expenditure they have poured into Chateau d'Issan over the ensuing decades may be paying off, as some recent vintages have given us some very good wines.
Nowadays’ Owner: G.F.A. du Chateau d’issan
Administrator: Madame Emmanuel Cruse
Technique Information
Location: Chateau d’issan is located in Margaux, 30 minutes' drive from Bordeaux, on the left bank of the Gironde River.
Appellation: Appellation Magaux Controlee
Neighboring Chateau: Chateau Giscours(3rd Growth of Margaux in1855)
Acreage: 125 Ha totally
30 Ha Chateau d’issan & Blason d’Issan A.O.C. Margaux
11 Ha Chateau de Candale A.O.C. Haut-Medoc
11 Ha Moulin d’Issan A.O.C. Bordeaux-Superie
Soil: Graves, gravel and clay
Grape Varieties: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot
Chateau d’Issan (First Label): 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot
Blason d’Issan (Second Label): 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot
Moulin d’Issan: 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet
Average age of vines: 35years
Chateau d’Issan (First Label): around 35 years old
Blason d’Issan (Second Label): around 18 years old
Cultivation density: 8,500vines/Ha
Viticulture: Replanting practice: Yearly until the 20th year.
Winemaking: The fruit is harvested manually, and fermented in stainless steel using temperature control. It is macerated typically for 21 days, before going into oak, using 50% new barrels for the grand vin, Chateau d'Issan (typically 10000 cases per annum), and 35% new barrels for the second wine, Blason d'Issan (typically 5000 cases per annum). The two other cuvées each see 30% new oak per annum. Most wines will see between 16 and 18 months of oak before bottling.
Yield: 45Hl/Ha
Brand: Chateau d’Issan(First Label)(A.O.C. Margaux)
Blason d’issan(Second Label)(A.O.C. Margaux)
Chateau de Candale(A.O.C. Haut-Medoc)
Moulin d’Issan(A.O.C. Bordeaux-Supérieur)
Annually production: Chateau d’Issan(First Label): 120,000 bottles
Blason d’Issan(Second Label): 65,000 bottles
Chateau de Candale: 70,000 bottles
Moulin d’Issan: 70,000 bottles
Character:
Chateau d’Issan(First Label): Medium-bodied dry red wine, typical Margaux style red wine. Moderate tannins texture, intense black currants, vanilla oak, tobacco leaf and truffle flavors on palate, good length in finish. Chateau d’Issan produces wines which, whilst preserving the exquisite bouquet so special to the wines of Margaux, show a great deal of similarity to the great wines of Pauillac on account of their force, their flesh and their color. Average annual production at chateau d’Issan is 180,000 bottles.
Blason d’Issan(Second Label): The second wine of Chateau d’Issan first launched in 1994, with the name of Blason d’Issan. Nose of cassis and cherry floral (purple) with spiced up notes. In the mouth, fleshy, vigorous and fresh.
Chateau de Candale: Chateau de Candale possesses less than 5 hectares, with an annually production of 2,500 cases (12 bottles per case), reasonable price less than 1/3 of the Chateau d’Issan’s price. With the same winemaker, winemaking facilities, techniques and the same care as the Chateau d’Issan, but there are difference between those two wines. Chateau de Candale shows a ruby red, while Chateau d’Issan shows inky crimson. Lower in tannin, and lighter in body not as muscular and powerful as Chateau d’Issan do.
Moulin d’Issan: Aromatic wealthy, on pretty aromas of cassis and of black, lightly wooded fruit (Vanilla), the green capsicum. In the mouth, lively, quite generous in alcohol and the tannins though flexible are present.
Best vintages: Chateau d’Issan(First Label): 1983, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1997, 2000
Award: 3rd Grand Cru Classe in 1855 Margaux
Website: http://www.chateau-issan.com/
Serving Suggestion
Cellar Humidity and Temperature: 75-85%, 15 ℃
Serving Temperature: 17℃-19℃
Optimum Drinking and Aging Potential: after 7-8 years, 10-12 years.
Food match:
Chateau d’Issan (First Label):
Western Food: Beef, poultry, cheese, pasta with cream sauce, hearty stew, pizza, pork, veal, game.Blason d’Issan(Second Label):
Western Food: Roast lamb (gigot, shoulder), chateaubriand, game birds. Moulin d’issan:
Western Food: Red meat, Game, cheeses.
Next Have NoNe xtLink
Pre Chateau Kirwan
|
