The Rule of Five Tasting – Château d’Issan

Wine Lister recently teamed up with 67 Pall Mall for a vertical tasting of five d’Issan vintages led by owner, Emmanuel Cruse, and Commercial Director, Augustin Lacaille. Last Wednesday, Emmanuel transported over 60 members of the UK fine wine trade and press to the historic Margaux property, guiding them through four of his favourite recent vintages: 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015.

By invitation only: a selection of snaps from guests’ home tasting set-ups. Photos from (from top left anticlockwise): Bud Cuchet (@budcuchet), Charlie Goblet (@charliegoblet), Will Lyons (@mrwill_lyons), Wine Lister (@winelister), Emily O’Hare (@emilyowine), Wine Lister (@winelister), Charlie Goblet (@charliegolet), and Tom Harrow (@winechapuk)

Tasting kits were accompanied by individual copies of The Four Seasons of Château d’Issan – a cookbook assembled by the property’s head chef, Frédéric Braud, with seasonal recipes from a year in the kitchen at d’Issan. Following a short introduction video including aerial scenes of the château and close-ups on its vines, Emmanuel commenced the vertical tasting with the 2000 vintage.

Having taken over as managing director in 1998, he proclaimed that the 2000 was the last “old school” d’Issan. Indeed, the property’s winery has since been almost entirely rebuilt, with a new cellar inaugurated in 2002. The vintage marks the last to be composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot, the Cabernet proportion being decreased to 60% in 2005.

Emmanuel was not shy in praising the 2005 d’Issan, calling it “the first great vintage” under his watch. He notes there was “perfect weather all year”, recounting how the summer was so warm that the pickers all worked in swimsuits, leading to abnormally regular visits from inquisitive négociants.

According to Emmanuel, 2010 is “from a technical perspective, maybe the best ever vintage made in Bordeaux”. The year had an excellent growing season, void of the hailstorms that had blighted d’Issan in 2008 and 2009. He informed us that the year was also personally special to him, marking the year he married his wife, Virginie. While still on the younger side, Emmanuel suggests decanting the 2010 for three hours ahead of its enjoyment.

The tasting concluded with the 2015 vintages of the property’s Grand Vin and its second wine, Blason d’Issan. Emmanuel stated that it was a broadly excellent year for Bordeaux, and specifically Margaux, which received “less rain than other appellations in the Medoc”. The ratios shifted slightly more towards Cabernet Sauvignon in 2015, which makes up 65% of the blend – Emmanuel’s personal preference.

Hailing from the estate’s younger vines, which are around 15-20 years old, Blason comprises 60% Cabernet Sauvignon in 2015. Emmanuel specifies the same winemaking practices are applied to the second wine, which he hopes to be “an introduction to the flagship”.

D’Issan owner, Emmanuel Cruse, and Commercial Director, Augustin Lacaille, in “The Rule of Five” virtual tasting

D’Issan 2020 will be released en primeur this year, and we look forward to finding out what the latest edition of “The Rule of Five” will bring – especially since the property’s acquisition of neighbouring Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot vineyards in March 2020. While the official blend for the 2020 vintage has not been finalised, Emmanuel is sure that the added varietals will be a “real plus”. If the serendipitous pattern of five is anything to go by, especially with the excellent growing season in 2020, the “rule” has every chance of continuing to reign.

For more information on our organisation of virtual tastings and events, please contact the WL PR team here.


Burgundy 2019s so far – finding value at the top

It is the ultimate question for Burgundy fans seeking wines for drinking – with prices of the region’s best having risen so high, where can one find value?

Wine Lister’s second Burgundy study published in collaboration with regional specialist, Jasper Morris, notes the proliferation of good value wines hailing from some of the lesser-known appellations, and even outside of the Côte d’Or (Saint-Aubin, Marsannay, Mercurey, and Pouilly-Fuissé were among those mentioned).

Below Wine Lister explores some of the wines worth snapping up from the 2019 campaign*, based on their relative value when compared with other wines in their sought-after appellations. 37 out of the 58 wines listed in charts below are white.

Chablis – a permanent alternative source for Burgundy drinking white outside of the Côte de Beaune – features heavily. Buzz brands William Fèvre and Billaud-Simon achieve multiple entries, as does the Chablis estate of Maison Albert Bichot – Long-Depaquit, and relative newcomer to the cream of the crop, Jean-Paul et Benoît Droin. This group of top Chablis achieves an average price of £52 in bond per bottle, while their Côte de Beaune counterparts cost more than 30% more for the same quality (since both groups achieve an average WL score of 93).

Among the Côte de Beaune whites, Alain Chavy’s Puligny-Montrachet Folatières, and Fontainte-Gagnard’s Chassagne-Montrachet Caillerets provide the best quality-to-price ratios, both achieving WL scores of 94, for £48 and £53 per bottle in-bond respectively. Domaine Rapet’s Corton-Charlemagne provides excellent value for Grand Cru white (considering that the appellation’s reference – Jean-François Coche-Dury – typically costs over £3,000 per bottle).

Only one Grand Cru red makes the cut in top-scorers under £100 per bottle – Georges Lignier’s Clos Saint-Denis.

In the rest of the Côte de Nuits, strong value propositions hail from Taupenot-Merme throughout, particularly its Morey-Saint-Denis La Riotte. Maison Louis Jadot and Heresztyn-Mazzini achieve multiple entries in Gevrey, and the Nuits-Saint-Georges appellation makes an appearance across three producers – Grivot, Faiveley, and Henri Gouges.

The average price difference between the reds of both Côtes is not so dramatic as for Chablis and its Beaune counterparts. Côte de Beaune reds as shown the image above reach an average price of £72, just 10% lower than the Côte de Nuits group (for the same average WL score of 92). Domaine de Montille takes three of the eight places for its Corton Clos du Roi, Volnay Taillepieds, and Pommard Pézerolles.

*N.B. prices are based on those aggregated through Wine Lister’s pricing partner, Wine Owners. Not all Burgundy 2019s have recorded prices as yet, so the above lists may well evolve over the coming weeks and months.


The final word on Burgundy 2019 – Jasper Morris’ top scores

The last lot of Burgundy 2019 scores are in, from Wine Lister’s regional specialist critic, Jasper Morris (Inside Burgundy).

Below we explore Jasper’s top scores by Burgundy “subset”, as defined in Wine Lister’s recent study on the region (recap its key findings here).

While no wines earned perfect scores this year, Jasper’s highest score was in fact awarded to a Premier Cru performing beyond its classification – Arnoux-Lachaux’s Vosne-Romanée Aux Reignots. He notes that the wine is “completely heartbreakingly suave and sensational”, offering “crisply ripe cherries, alpine strawberry, the lightest raspberry touch, then a generous pure clear long finish”.

In Gevrey and its surrounding Grands Crus areas, Armand Rousseau fares well, its Chambertin and Chambertin Clos de Bèze earning scores of 98 and 97 respectively. Up-and-comer Domaine Duroché ties for first place within the subset with its Chambertin Clos de Bèze. Jasper describes it as having “a little lick of oak, which is entirely in place, a light, but fresh acidity, a sense of harmony throughout and a deepening of the fruit on the second half of the palate”, creating a “glorious conclusion”.

Georges Roumier proves king of Chambolle and its surrounding Grands Crus, earning two places among the top scorers for the domaine’s Musigny and Bonnes-Mares. Adding testament to the improving quality of maisons de négoce (as mentioned in Wine Lister’s Burgundy study), Maison Henri Boillot makes an appearance among the top ranks for its own Bonnes-Mares.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti understandably dominates the Vosne Grands Crus category, though star producer Arnoux-Lachaux features among the top 11, in addition to its high-scoring Vosne-Romanée Premiers Crus. Speaking to Wine Lister following the completion of his Burgundy 2019 reports, Jasper notes that Arnoux-Lachaux has “unequivocally joined the greats with a faultless array of stunning wines in 2019, hitting heights of ethereal elegance without sacrificing power”.

Jasper reports that Morey-Saint-Denis has done well in 2019, as “the village which had the benefit of the best rainfall figures in August”. He adds, “not only are Clos des Lambrays and Clos de Tart progressing well under their new ownerships and winemakers, but class acts such as Domaine Dujac and Christophe Perrot-Minot have filled their boots, while Domaine Arlaud have produced their best set of wines ever”.

Interestingly, no Côte de Beaune red scores above 96 from Jasper in 2019 (though the top scorer at 95-96 points is Méo-Camuzet’s Corton Rognet). See all top scores for Côte de Beaune reds in 2019 here.

Whites in 2019 do not reach the dizzy score heights of their red counterparts. The above chart therefore takes into account Côte de Beaune white Premiers Crus with scores above 95, and Côte de Beaune Grands Crus achieving 96 points or above.

In the latter subset, maisons de négoce Bouchard Père et Fils and Maison Jadot achieve two entries apiece, for their Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte and Montrachet, and Corton-Charlemagne and Montrachet respectively.

Producers Bachelet-Monnot, Comtes Lafon, Domaine Henri Boillot, and Marc Colin also all appear twice in the top Côte de Beaune white rankings for 2019.

View more Burgundy 2019 scores here. Wine Lister Pro users can search and filter by critic scores, and can view all of Jasper Morris’ top Burgundy 2019 scores here. Click here to find out more about the Pro subscription.


Neal Martin’s top Burgundy 2019 scores

The majority of Burgundy 2019 en primeur scores have now been published by another Wine Lister partner critic, Neal Martin (Vinous), offering further insight into the best bottles from the latest vintage.

Explore all Burgundy 2019 WL scores here, or read more below.

While no wines earned perfect scores this year, fittingly there are 19 Burgundy 2019s that earn 96-98 and above (compared to 15 in 2018). Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche, Dujac Clos de la Roche, Jean Grivot Richebourg, and Armand Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Bèze fare notably well with scores of 97-99.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti occupies a further three places on the list, with its Grands Echezeaux, Richebourg, and Romanée-Conti, compared to two Domaine de la Romanée-Conti wines that appear in this score bracket in 2018.

Also scored generously by Jancis Robinson this year (recap our recent examination of her Burgundy 2019 here), Georges Roumier is awarded 96-98 for his Bonnes-Mares, Musigny, and Ruchottes-Chambertin. Featuring on both critics’ list of top-rated wines from the vintage, the Musigny is described by Neal Martin as “beautifully defined on the nose”, offering “a mixture of red and black fruit laced with blood orange, it fans out wonderfully toward the finish”.

The only white Burgundy to gain a score of 18.5 from Jancis Robinson so far, Comtes Lafon’s 2019 Montrachet is one of three whites awarded 96-98 by Neal Martin, alongside its Meursault Perrières and Louis Jadot’s Chevalier Montrachet Les Demoiselles. Members of the Wine Lister team sampled the latter at Louis Jadot’s 2019 en primeur tasting in November 2020 (recap here), and were also impressed, detecting notes of honey and brioche to complement its defined acidity.

Also featured on the list of Burgundy 2019s earning 96-96 and over from Neal Martin are: Armand Rousseau Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes, Bernard Dugat-Py Mazis Chambertin Vieilles Vignes, Claude Dugat Chapelle-Chambertin, Clos de Tart Clos de Tart, Comte Liger-Belair La Romanée, Denis Bachelet Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes, Dujac Romanée-Saint-Vivant, Duroché Chambertin Clos de Bèze, Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Ruchottes-Chambertin, Georges Noëllat Grands Echezeaux, Hudelot-Noëllat Richebourg, Jean Trapet Père et Fils Latricières-Chambertin, Joseph Drouhin Musigny, Marquis d’Angerville Volnay Clos des Ducs, and Robert Groffier Père et Fils Chambertin Clos de Bèze.


Jancis Robinson’s top Burgundy 2019 scores

Though Wine Lister are missing what would have been London’s Bourgogne tasting week this week, our partner critic, Jancis Robinson, has now released the majority of her scores for the 2019 vintage, providing a better picture of the top en primeur picks.

Explore all Burgundy 2019 scores here, or read more below.

A drought year resulting in wines of extreme concentration, yet balanced by energising acidity (recap Wine Lister’s report on Burgundy’s 2019 vintage here), there are 22 Burgundy 2019s that have so far been given a score of 18.5 or above.

Jancis awarded 19 points to Leroy’s Chambertin, Corton Les Renardes, Musigny, and Richebourg, after having not published any scores for Leroy since the 2013 vintage. The property fares extremely well in 2019, occupying eight places in the list of 22 wines earning 18.5 and over. Leroy’s Clos de la Roche, Latricières-Chambertin, Romanée-Saint-Vivant, and Vosne Romanéee Les Beaux Monts all achieve a score of 18.5.

Armand Rousseau occupies four places in the list, with its Chambertin Clos de Bèze, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques, Mazis-Chambertin, and Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes all earning 18.5 points. While slightly down on her ratings for the property’s 2018 offerings (she awarded 19 points to Rousseau’s Clos de la Roche and Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes in 2018, and a further 18.5 points to its Chambertin, Chambertin Clos de Bèze, and Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques), it nonetheless continues its excellent quality performance in 2019.

Comtes Lafon’s 2019 Montrachet is the only white Burgundy to gain a score of 18.5 from Jancis Robinson so far, continuing its series of top scores awarded by the critic in recent years. She describes it as “Both rich and savoury. Not remotely fat but with massive intensity. Throbbing and jewel-like”, concluding that “Dominique [Lafon] must be thrilled by this”.

Also featured on the list of Burgundy 2019s earning 18.5 and over from Wine Lister partner critic, Jancis Robinson are: Bernard Dugat-Py Chambertin, Bernard Dugat-Py Mazoyères-Chambertin, Comte Liger-Belair La Romanée, Georges (or Christophe) Roumier Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses, Georges (or Christophe) Roumier Musigny, Joseph Drouhin Musigny, Michel Lafarge Volnay Clos du Château des Ducs, Perrot-Minot Chambertin Clos de Bèze Vieilles Vignes, and Perrot-Minot Mazoyères-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes.

View more Burgundy 2019 scores (including those of Jasper Morris and Neal Martin) here.


New year, new tool – Wine Lister’s Vintage Chart

As we stayed hunkered down for much of 2020, Wine Lister was working on a new interactive tool for its website users: the Vintage Chart. Adding further breadth to our rating and information hub, this new feature allows side-by-side comparisons of top vintages from various countries, regions, and appellations.

See the example of Côte de Nuits reds below for some of the best of Burgundy’s back vintages, or explore the Vintage Chart for yourself here.

The Vintage Chart above compares the past 16 vintages of Côte de Nuits reds by WL score, based on the average WL scores of the top-performing wines in each “line”.

Informed by the latest available scores from two of Wine Lister’s partner critics, Jancis Robinson, Jasper Morris, and Neal Martin (Vinous) a look at the 2019 column reveals the success of Musigny, Richebourg, Romanée-Saint-Vivant, and Vosne-Romanée in the most recent vintage currently being released en primeur. The top-performing wines across the four appellations achieve an average WL score of 96, followed closely behind by Chambertin, Chambertin Clos de Bèze, Charmes-Chambertin, Clos de la Roche, Echezeaux, Gevrey-Chambertin, and Grands Echezeaux all gaining an average WL score of 95 in 2019.

Using the horizontal scroll to explore back vintages, one can see that Musigny is the most consistently high-scoring Côte de Nuits red appellation, with its top wines achieving an average WL score of 95 and above in the 15 vintages since 2004.

Click here to explore the Vintage Chart for yourself, or watch our video demonstration to find out how to get the most out of this new interactive tool here.

Wine Lister Pro members have access to a more extensive Vintage Chart, which integrates our holistic 360° rating system to visualise the average scores in the Economics and Quality categories, as well as by overall WL Pro score (which also takes into account a wine’s Brand clout). Log in to your account to view the Pro Vintage Chart here, or find out more about the Pro subscription here