Chateau d’Issan History, Overview

Chateau d’Issan is one of the oldest wine producing properties in the Medoc as well as in all of Bordeaux. In 1152, the wine produced by what we know of as Chateau d’Issan today, was served for the royal wedding between Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henri II. At the time, the wine was known as Lamothe Cantenac. This makes Chateau d’Issan one of the oldest estates in Bordeaux that has continued to produce Bordeaux wine in the appellation. In the late 1400’s the vineyards were known as Teobon. Jumping ahead a few centuries to the 17th century, the estate became the official possession of the d’Essenault family.

The name, d’Issan is based on an early phonetic spelling of d’Essenault. d’Essenualt was a member of Parliament, a knight and the owner of Chateau d’Issan. He began an extensive program of rebuilding, renovating and redesigning the property. Eventually he built a new castle next to the vineyard and continued his construction projects until the French Revolution.

Chateau d’Issan The Modern Age

Skipping ahead several centuries to modern era for Chateau d’Issan, the vineyard was purchased shortly after the conclusion of World War 2 in 1945 by the well-known Cruse family, who were successful negociants and vineyard owners. When they purchased the estate, following World War 2, everything was in poor shape. The cellars were dilapidated and needed complete rebuilding. In fact, they were in such bad shape, their 1945 wine had to be vinified at Rauzan Segla. The harvest was indeed tiny, as perhaps less than 5 hectares of land was still cultivated with vines. The Cruse family continues to own and manage the Medoc estate today. Chateau d’Issan remains one of the most picturesque estates in the area. With its moats, drawbridge and courtyard, Chateau d’Issan looks like a beautiful castle out of a fairy tale. It is well worth your time to visit.

The current high level of quality at Chateau d’Issan can be traced back to 1998. That is the year Emmanuel Cruse took over the job of managing the Left Bank property. Emmanuel Cruse earned dual degrees in law and oenology. Since 1998, Emmanuel Cruse has slowly but surely turned Chateau d’Issan into one of the top estates in the Margaux appellation. In February, 2013, Chateau d’Issan sold a 50% stake in the historic Medoc property to Jacky Lorenzetti. Jacky Lorenzetti has been working with Emmanuel Cruse, the owner and director of Chateau d’Issan for a while now on his other Left Bank Bordeaux chateaux including; Chateau Lilian Ladouys in St. Estephe and Chateau Pedesclaux in Pauillac.

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Emmanuel Cruse modernized the estate with the addition of sorting tables and a new pneumatic press, along with a building a new reception area to receive the grapes. The portion of new French oak barrels used to age the wine has also increased to a minimum of 50%. Most importantly, greater selection is now utilized with the fruit. Now, much more of the harvest goes into the second wine of Chateau d’Issan. It’s possible that with a new partner owning 50% of Chateau d’Issan, the estate could take another step forward in quality and price in the near to moderate future.

Chateau d’Issan Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

Chateau d’Issan is one of the most beautiful estates in Bordeaux. The entire property takes up 120 hectares, with 41 hectares under vine. This new vineyard size shows a marked increase in the amount of hectares due to a ruling in 2007 by the INAO that allowed Chateau d’Issan to add 10 hectares of vines that were previously classed as Haut-Medoc. Those vines were upgraded and re-classified as part of the Margaux appellation. Here’s a secret for you. For the 2015 vintage only, Chateau d’Issan made 1 special barrel of wine that came from the exact borders of d’Issan at the time of the 1855 Classification of the Medoc!

The 44 hectare vineyard of Chateau d’Issan has a terroir of gravel with clay and limestone soils on gentle, rolling, slopes. The vineyard is planted to 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot. This represents a shift in the vineyard plantings since the 1990’s, as today, there is less Cabernet Sauvignon and more Merlot in the vineyard. The vineyards of Chateau d’Issan are planted to a vine density of 9,000 vines per hectare with vines that are on average 35 years of age. They have old vines as well, some of which are close to 65 years of age. While today Chateau d’Issan is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, that was not the most important grape at the time of the 1855 Classification. In fact, in those days, Chateau d’Issan was planted to 100% Tarney Coulant, a grape that is now almost extinct in Bordeaux today.

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The best vintages of Chateau d’Issan are: 2016, 2015, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2006, 2005, 2000 and 1959. Clearly, 2015 is the best wine produced in the history of Chateau d’Issan, so far!

Chateau d’Issan Winemaking

To produce the wine of Chateau d’Issan, the wine is vinified in temperature controlled, stainless steel vats. At Chateau d’Issan, they use 37 vats that range in size from 73 hectoliters up to 148 hectoliters. This allows for true parcel by parcel vinification. Malolactic fermentation is conducted in a combination of tank and barrel. The amount of each method varies, depending on the vintage and grape variety as only the Merlot goes through malolactic fermentation in barrel. The wine of Chateau d’Issan is aged in 50% new, French oak barrels for an average of 18 months before bottling. The selection here is severe. Today, it’s common for close to 40% of the yields to be declassified. There is also a second wine, Blason d’Issan which made its debut in 1995. Production of the Chateau d’Issan is slightly more than 6,000 cases per year.