Alex Lallos, JJ Buckley, April 2011

61% cabernet sauvignon, 39% merlot. Average age of vines is 35 years planted in deep gravel. Merlot was harvested between Sep 27 and Oct 5. The cabernet was brought in between Oct 5 and 14. The net yields were an amazingly low 22 hl/ha! Aged in 55% new oak barrels and 45% one-wine old barrels for about 18 months. Alcohol is 13.7%. The beautiful nose displays red currant, cherry, and loganberry. Complex flavors on the palate feature more darker notes of coffee, bittersweet chocolate, and Asian spice. Lots of texture and structure here, this lush effort retains its freshness throughout. The d'Issan is top notch in 2010. Enjoy this beauty over the next 3+ decades. Jacques Boissenot consults.

94 points,

James Suckling, jamessuckling.com, February 2013

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.

Jancis Robinson, April 2011

`Final blend since Jan 2011.' 55% new oak. Very dark crimson. Heady and perfumed and very Margaux. More subtle on the nose. Very sweet start with good freshness. Tighter and introvert. Needs a long time. The grown-up version of Blason d'Issan. Lovely delicacy. Very fine tannins on the end but with Margaux polish. 17.5 out of 20

94 -95 points,

Jeff Leve, TheWineCellarInsider.com, April 2011

From a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon and 39% Merlot, the Margaux wine will probably be aged in 55% new oak for close to 18 to 20 months. 2010, with its dark, inky purple accents stains the glass is it's swirled. Oak, cassis, forest floor and graphite scents are on display with little coaxing, Offering a big mouthful of ripe cassis, vanilla, licorice and sweet tannin, there is a lot to like about this wine. More classic in style than 2009, 2010 is a little richer and more powerful than the 2009. Emmanuel Cruse feels the wine is one step up from the 2009. I agree. He added, "Even though the IPT levels are the same in both vintages, 2010 feels denser and offers more structure." d'Issan is one of the Medoc properties with slightly lower alcohol levels in 2010, when compared with 2009. 2009 reached 13.9%. In 2010, the wine is at 13.7% .

92 -94 points,

Neal Martin's Wine Journal, April 2011

A blend of 39% Merlot and 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, cropped between 27th September and 14th October at 42hl/ha representing 53% of the crop, clocking 13.7% and a pH 3.81. It has a tightly-coiled, mineral-rich bouquet with blackberry, wild hedgerow, a touch of blueberry and crushed violet. Good definition and very controlled. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins on the entry, a little earthy with some sous-bois and cigar box emanating from the ripe Cabernet, good weight but not overbearing towards the finish. Very natural. This is not a show-stopping wine, but a d'Issan that you will gladly have on your table and deserves several years cellaring.

95 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, March 2013

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. --Robert Parker

91 points,

Wine Spectator, March 2013

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. -JM

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