Chateau d’Issan to unveil Jardin d’Issan during primeurs
Château D’Issan is releasing the first vintage of its new dry white wine, Jardin d’Issan 2024, during this year's en primeur campaign, coinciding with the Cruse family celebrating its 80th anniversary of the purchase of the famed Margaux château. The post Chateau d’Issan to unveil Jardin d’Issan during primeurs appeared first on The Drinks Business.
Château D’Issan is releasing the first vintage of its new dry white wine, Jardin d’Issan 2024, during this year's en primeur campaign, coinciding with the Cruse family celebrating its 80th anniversary of the purchase of the famed Margaux château.
As first revealed by db last August, the “unique.. and experimental” white wine was first mooted during the Covid pandemic, and will be unveiled during the en primeur tastings in April ahead of its June release.
The micro-cuvée of just 1200 bottles comes from a tiny 1.7 hectare plot in the heart of the Clos d’Issan itself very close to the Château and located on the 45th parallel on a little argilo-calcaire vein. The plot is divided into 4 sub-plots of roughly equal size planted with Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne and Rolle – varietals as yet more associated with the 45th parallel than with Margaux per se. The density of planting is just 5,000 vines per hectare and the wine will be bottled under the Vin de France label.
Élévage took place in three different containers: a ceramic egg with a capacity of 225 litres and Bordeaux barrels of 225 litres and 400 litres respectively. The name of the cuvée symbolizes both the miniscule size of the plot, the diversity of the grape varieties as well as the plot’s location between the estate’s biodiversity reserve and the historic vineyard of Issan. The label will be revealed during the en primeur tastings.
Given the limited size of the production it will be distributed through La Place by a small number of select négociants and with an anticipated price point somewhere between that of Blason d’Issan and the grand vin.
Speaking to db last autumn, Emmanuel Cruse, co-owner of d’Issan and director-general of Vignobles Cruse-Lorenzetti said the walled vineyard plot was planted in 2021 following detailed soil analysis of the vineyards during the pandemic, which revealed the soil to be ideal for white wines. The team conducted a blind tasting of white wines produced on the same latitude - the 45th parallel - from Bordeaux, Côtes du Rhône, and Piedmont, and decided to experiment with varieties found on the same latitude in order to produce a “unique... and “exceptional” white wine.
“We are on the 45th parallel and these grapes are growth on the 45th parallel in Piedmont and Croze-Hermitage, so it was a bit experimental, but why not?” Cruse told the drinks business.
The move follows several years of evolution at the château, which saw the acquisition of small 7ha vineyard of Petit Verdot in the neighbouring estate (with a proportion of Petit Verdot from the new estate being included in the blend of the Grand Vin from 2020 onwards, along with Cabernet Franc and a tiny proportion of Malbec) and the inauguration of a small vat house in enable greater precision in winemaking.
As first revealed by db last August, the “unique.. and experimental” white wine was first mooted during the Covid pandemic, and will be unveiled during the en primeur tastings in April ahead of its June release.
The micro-cuvée of just 1200 bottles comes from a tiny 1.7 hectare plot in the heart of the Clos d’Issan itself very close to the Château and located on the 45th parallel on a little argilo-calcaire vein. The plot is divided into 4 sub-plots of roughly equal size planted with Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne and Rolle – varietals as yet more associated with the 45th parallel than with Margaux per se. The density of planting is just 5,000 vines per hectare and the wine will be bottled under the Vin de France label.
Élévage took place in three different containers: a ceramic egg with a capacity of 225 litres and Bordeaux barrels of 225 litres and 400 litres respectively. The name of the cuvée symbolizes both the miniscule size of the plot, the diversity of the grape varieties as well as the plot’s location between the estate’s biodiversity reserve and the historic vineyard of Issan. The label will be revealed during the en primeur tastings.
Given the limited size of the production it will be distributed through La Place by a small number of select négociants and with an anticipated price point somewhere between that of Blason d’Issan and the grand vin.
Speaking to db last autumn, Emmanuel Cruse, co-owner of d’Issan and director-general of Vignobles Cruse-Lorenzetti said the walled vineyard plot was planted in 2021 following detailed soil analysis of the vineyards during the pandemic, which revealed the soil to be ideal for white wines. The team conducted a blind tasting of white wines produced on the same latitude - the 45th parallel - from Bordeaux, Côtes du Rhône, and Piedmont, and decided to experiment with varieties found on the same latitude in order to produce a “unique... and “exceptional” white wine.
“We are on the 45th parallel and these grapes are growth on the 45th parallel in Piedmont and Croze-Hermitage, so it was a bit experimental, but why not?” Cruse told the drinks business.
The move follows several years of evolution at the château, which saw the acquisition of small 7ha vineyard of Petit Verdot in the neighbouring estate (with a proportion of Petit Verdot from the new estate being included in the blend of the Grand Vin from 2020 onwards, along with Cabernet Franc and a tiny proportion of Malbec) and the inauguration of a small vat house in enable greater precision in winemaking. 
