Made by the prestigious team at Margaux 3rd Growth Château d'Issan, and recently shipped to us directly from Bordeaux, Haut-Médoc d’Issan checks all the boxes to help make our fall and winter festivities lively and delicious! It’s Left Bank Bordeaux quality for a modest, kinda crazy low price - Just 1500 cases made.
Château d’Issan needs no introduction. Their wines have pleased the palates of many claret lovers for decades, particularly since Emmanuel Cruse took over as director in the 1990’s. If you’ve tasted the wines and/or seen the scores, you know what we’re talking about. Particularly since the one-two punches of 2009 & 2010, somehow, they’ve dialed up the quality level to heights once unimaginable. This winemaking team is firing on all cylinders!
In addition to their 3rd Growth Margaux vines, they own 5 hectares of Cabernet and Merlot plots 5km west of the property in the commune of Arsac. Surrounded by Cru Classé Margaux vineyards (Du Tertre is a neighbor), these plots are classified as Haut-Médoc, which is a good thing for those of us looking to save a few bucks without sacrificing quality. The Haut-Médoc d'Issan is meant to be accessible earlier than the Grand Vin, though in finer vintages (like 2016!) a little aging can bring out wonderful, nuanced complexity.
When we came across a small stock of the 2016 Haut-Médoc d’Issan, still in France (at a crazy, low price for an aged 2016 no less), we knew we had to act fast. It made its refrigerated journey here to our warehouse, and it's now here for all of us to enjoy. The timing couldn’t be better as it would be great to sock away for those festivities headed our way real soon! We can cite a litany of reasons to stock up on this one, but maybe it's best if we suggest you try a bottle and decide for yourselves. Keep in mind, they didn’t make very much and our stocks are limited. Get in while you can!
- Peter Zavialoff
