2010 d'Issan, Margaux (Pre-Arrival)
SKU #1066873
94-96
points
Wine Enthusiast
A very structured wine, retaining great acidity and freshness. The tannins cut right to the heart of the wine. The aftertaste is solid and chunky.
(6/ 2011)
95
points
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A complete, medium to full-bodied, exquisite Margaux from this medieval, moat-encircled, compellingly beautiful estate in the southern Medoc, D'Issan's 2010 is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. The deep, gravelly soils mixed with clay have provided extraordinary aromatics. The yields were ridiculously low (22 hectoliters per hectare) and the wine tips the scaled at 13.7% natural alcohol. Production was small after the selection for the grand vin, and the result is a dense, purple-colored wine with beautiful aromatics of spring flowers, blueberries and black raspberries as well as hints of cassis, tar and charcoal. The wine is gorgeously pure, well-balanced, and soft enough to be approached in 4-5 years or cellared for 25-30.
(2/ 2013)
94
points
James Suckling
Gorgeous ripe fruit in this with plum, black cherries and spices on the nose and palate. Full body, with soft tannins and a long, long finish. Very refined and focused. Best from here in decades. Try after 2018.
(2/ 2013)
91-94
points
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
Deep, bright ruby-purple. Classic highly perfumed aromas of blackcurrant, violet, crushed stone and gunflint. Bright, clean and concentrated but currently backward, with densely packed black fruit and mineral flavors displaying a wonderfully precise, penetrating quality. Finishes long and subtle, with an austere quality and a lingering note of violet. This will need plenty of time to show its best: I find that the better vintages of Issan age gracefully; while never turning into behemoths, they put on weight and flesh with bottle age. For example, the 1999 is drinking splendidly now.
(6/ 2011)
91
points
Wine Spectator
This red offers a grippy, charcoal-laced feel, cloaked by very fleshy plum, currant and blackberry confiture flavors. The long, tarry spine drives the finish, with extra bay leaf, maduro tobacco and warm stone notes. A touch taut, but should be ready to open soon enough. Best from 2014 through 2024.
(3/ 2013)
Jancis Robinson
Fresh-fruited dusty fragrance. Exhales class. This is the stuff. Finesse all the way through, with the finest of dry tannins -- so fine you almost overlook them until you feel the completeness of this wine -- fully structured and fresh but you just can't pick out the elements. The long finish is fresh with a hint of cedary freshness. 17.5/20 points.
(4/ 2012)