Château d'Issan

Margaux, Bordeaux

French Wines

Château d'Issan
Chateau d'Issan has considerable history, and somewhat romantically a number of writers describe the chateau as resembling the castle of Sleeping Beauty. It is indeed an attractive building, moated no less, but anyone who finds that this calls to mind that tale of near-eternal sleep should visit some of the great chateaux and Royal hunting lodges of the Loire. Within the moat there once stood a castle, named Chateau Teobon, which dated from the 15th Century. The castle passed through the Ségur (of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild), Salignac and La Vergne families, until in the 17th Century it was obtained by l'Essenhault, a knight and local parliamentarian. L'Essenhault demolished the old castle and replaced it with an attractive moated lodge which still stands today. A century later the chateau was purchased by the Candale family, who renamed it Chateau de Candale. Come the revolution, however, this family lost their worldly possessions and the chateau entered the administration of Citizen Gustave Roy. His descendants managed Chateau d'Issan until the early 20th Century. In 1914 the chateau was sold and went in to decline, before purchase by the Cruse family in 1945. Chateau d’Issan a Third Growth in Margaux, is the family’s “crown jewel”. Grandson Emmanuel Cruse took over the reins as general manager in 1998 at the tender age of 30, and since then has spearheaded a dramatic rise in quality, fueled by a $3.5 million renovation of the vineyards, winery and cellars. Robert Parker has praised “young Emmanuel Cruse for a superb job reestablishing this estate as one of the stars of Margaux.” There was much work to be done, including replanting the vineyards and re-equipping the dilapidated cellars.

Château d'Issan
Admirably situated, the estate extends across 120 hectares of which 50 are dedicated to the culture of the vine. The extremely classic grape-mix is 70% Cabernet-Sauvignon to 30% Merlot. Château d’Issan produces wines which, whilst preserving the exquisite bouquet so special to the wines of Margaux, show a great deal of similarity to the great wines of Pauillac on account of their force, their flesh and their color. Average annual production at château d’Issan is 180,000 bottles.

Chateau d'Issan
Château d’Issan is located in Margaux, 30 minutes' drive from Bordeaux, on the left bank of the Gironde River. It has belonged to my family since 1945, when my grandfather, Emmanuel Cruse senior, bought it as a gift for his wife. My father was in charge of it from 1947 to 1997, when he retired. I am now in charge, and since 1995 we have started an aggressive program of improvements in the vineyards, cellars and winery and have invested over $6 million. The latest news at Château d’Issan and in all of Bordeaux is the 2005 harvest. Of course, since I am only 37, I have only a few harvests behind me, but I am very pleased to be able to vinify such a tremendous vintage. According to some very well-known winemakers, such as Paul Pontallier of Château Margaux and Marcel Ducasse of Château Lagrange in St. Julien, we have never before seen such ideal conditions throughout the year. In fact, my father, who has been involved in more than 50 harvests at Château d’Issan, has never seen such perfect grapes. Emmanuel Cruse

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