History
The history of the estate is mainly a story of families, legacy and transmissions generation after generation. The first known reference of Issan dates back to the twelfth century during the occupation of Guyenne by the English. At this time, the Château was named La Mothe-Cantenac, before becoming the Theobon Manor. During the following centuries, the property was passed on from hand to hand, from heir to marriage. Thus, many families succeeded one another at the head of the soil until 1575, when the family of Essenault obtained the property. It was the five generations of descendants of this family who eventually renamed the estate, by contraction of their name: the Château d’Issan was born.
3rd Classified Growth since 1855, Château d’Issan has not waited for this classification to distinguish itself since the reputation of its wine dates back to the end of the 12th century when it was served at the wedding of Aliénor d’Aquitaine with Henri Plantagenêt, future King of England, May 18, 1152. Like the Grands Médocs, the Château d’Issan is on the “Right Bank” of the Châteaux Road, at the entrance to the Cantenac village, in the extension of prestigious wines like Margaux, its illustrious neighbor, Léoville Las Cases, Pichon Longueville or Palmer. Blason d’Issan is the second wine of the estate, created in 1995.
Terroir
The vineyard is divided into several parcels and each farm is made according to this distribution to maximize the qualitative aspect. Blason d’Issan is the second wine of the property, created in 1995. Coming from young parcels (around 20 years old) in the Margaux appellation, its grape variety is close to that of the great wine, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Blason d’Issan is also aged in barrels for 14 to 16 months, 35% of which is new wood.
Since the early 1990s, under the impetus of Emmanuel Cruse and its technical director, a major renovation of the production equipment has been undertaken and the objective is to constantly improve the maintenance of the vineyard and techniques. of vinification. In 2012, Françoise and Jacky Lorenzetti, also owners of the Châteaux Lilian Ladouys and Pédesclaux, team up with the Cruse family and work together to revive the wines of Château d’Issan, which has been able to regain all their acclaim.