Château d’Issan has made a very good effort in the 2003 vintage- not that this wine
would ever confuse anyone with a great, classic vintage for this estate- but, this is one of the
stronger wines I have tasted from the...
Château d’Issan has made a very good effort in the 2003 vintage- not that this wine
would ever confuse anyone with a great, classic vintage for this estate- but, this is one of the
stronger wines I have tasted from the year. The bouquet is borderline overripe, but does not
(yet?) cross that threshold and offers up scents of sappy black cherries, cassis, dark chocolate,
game, leather and spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite fat on the
attack, with reasonable balance, some firm, underripe tannins on the backend and a bit of pepper
perking up the long, low acid finish. Like so many 2003s, this is chewy and probably will stay
that way for life, but today, it does deliver some pleasure and is reasonably successful for the
vintage. 2012-2030+?