Château d'Issan "Blason d'Issan" Margaux 2020

James Suckling : 94 Points

(3/20/2023) Dried oranges and plums with bark, mushroom and forest floor aromas that follow through to medium to full body with a dense finish and excellent energy. Spices such as nutmeg and sandalwood. Some chocolate, too. 57% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 3% petit verdot. Best after 2025.

Decanter : 92 Points

(4/30/2021) Seductive aromatics, good balance running through the palate, this is enjoyable. Petit Verdot for the first time in the blend, from the Pontac-Lynch vines. This has some lovely depth and width through the palate, one of the better second wines. With the addition of new plots and new grapes, they did many more blending sessions than usual, to be sure especially, whether to add the 1% Malbec to the first wine (most of this info needs to be switched into the Issan entry). Young vines mainly in this wine, Merlot oriented. This year they added 7ha of vines (as of March, from Pontac Lynch, including a 1948 plot of Petit Verdot and a 1958 Cabernet Franc, plus 1% of Malbec that has gone into the blend of the 1st wine). Harvest September 17 through to October 2. A yield of 38.5hl/ha (last year was 50hl/ha). Drinking Window: 2025 - 2034.

Jeb Dunnuck : 90-92 Points

(5/23/21) The second wine of this estate is the 2020 Blason D'Issan, and it's a pure, fruit-forward, impressive barrel sample. Lots of sweet cassis and darker cherry fruits as well as chocolate, spicy oak, and espresso notes define this youthful, medium to full-bodied wine that's going to offer ample pleasure right out of the gate. The blend of the second wine is 57% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Petit Verdot, brought up in 35% new French oak.