A velvety and fresh wine with silky tannins that flow across the palate. It's medium-bodied with an impression of crunchiness. Creamy texture. Zesty, flavorful finish. Very approachable now but better in two or three years. Second wine of d'Issan. 44% cabernet sauvignon, 55% merlot and 1% petit verdot.

Beautiful aromatics, fresh and floral dark blackcurrant fruit, milk chocolate. Intensely concentrated, a real bite to the fruit with powdery, firm and filling tannins. A gorgeous mouthfeel, fresh but straight and tense, keeps the focus and direction. You can feel his has been well worked with balanced ripeness and acidity. Feels nicely focussed and detailed, juicy and concentrated with purity and strength. Impressive and persistent. This will be great in 5 - 10 years. 1% PV planted in 1982. 14% press wine. Percentage of production: 46%. Total acidity: 3.62. 35% new barrels. 3.60pH. (Drink between 2027-2042)

The blend of the second wine is 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 55% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, and this accounts for 46% of production. The élevage was in 35% new barrels. A confident nose of sweet and lightly desiccated fruits, dried blackberry, a little black pepper and honey note from the oak. The palate is drily composed with a firm frame of tannins which show more prominently than many of its peers in this vintage, with a well-knit but nevertheless prominent grain, overlaid with a juicy layer of fruit. Rather a charming composition, and although the structure is firm the fruit provides a juicy and approachable blanket, and I suspect this will be drinking well just five years from now. The alcohol on the label is 14.5%. - Chris Kissack

The 2022 Blason d'lssan is a delight. Soft, supple and inviting, this seductive Margaux will drink well right out of the gate. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender, sage and mint all grace the gentle, open-knit finish. -- Antonio Galloni