The 2022 D'Issan is a lovely wine that will delight Médoc purists, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet berries, burning embers, violets and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with velvety tannins and a deep core of vibrant fruit, it's a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The estate is now equipped with a battery of 20-hectoliter tanks, permitting sub-plot by sub-plot harvesting this year.

(93-95) points, Wine Advocate (April 2023)

Grips from the outset, spiced sandalwood, incense, cumin, graphite, black pepper, a ton of personality and confidence, juicy savoury black fruits, character, intensity, grip and lift, impressive. Love the character of this wine. Issan had been using five grapes in the blend since the 2020 vintage. 50% new oak.

The deep ruby/purple-hued 2022 Château D'Issan is rock star stuff, offering a massive array of red and black fruits, spring flowers, violets, smoky tobacco, and a beautiful sense of minerality. This full-bodied, powerful, concentrated Issan has a layered, seamless mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a great finish. The alcohol here is 14.6% and the pH is a solid 3.6. Give bottles 4-5 years if you can, and it will evolve gracefully over the following three decades.

Wonderfully intense fragrance on the nose - violets, blackcurrants and chocolate. Smooth and silky, almost creamy in texture with bite to the tangy strawberry and red cherry fruit. The grip from the tannins takes hold from the mid palate onwards, creating a funnel for the energy and power to surge through ending long and lifted. Lovely winemaking, this has thrust but is packaged really elegantly with the opulence of 2022 clearly on show - especially with a flash of heat on the finish - but balanced freshness and a light touch in the cellar. Bold but seductive nonetheless.

Wonderfully intense fragrance on the nose - violets, blackcurrants and chocolate. Smooth and silky, almost creamy in texture with bite to the tangy strawberry and red cherry fruit. The grip from the tannins takes hold from the mid palate onwards, creating a funnel for the energy and power to surge through ending long and lifted. Lovely winemaking, this has thrust but is packaged really elegantly with the opulence of 2022 clearly on show - especially with a flash of heat on the finish - but balanced freshness and a light touch in the cellar. Bold but seductive nonetheless.