2005 Château d'Issan

Good depth of ruby red colour, and every time I drink this wine it blows me away with how good it is. Extremely controlled, savoury, soy, tobacco, saline crackers, smoked earth, blackberry and loganberry fruit, so much texure, and a tickle of eucaplyptus on the finish. Classy and balanced, with juicy signoff that stretches out through the palate. Bloody great wine, one to celebrate. Has tertiary aromas coming in, but you welcome them for the added complexity that they bring. 42hl/h yield.

A burst of ripe fruits, fleshy damson, black cherry, cassis. Velvety tannins, with tobacco, liqourice, cocoa bean, cigar and brioche aromatics that layer up and draw out through the palate. 42hl/h yield. Harvest for three weeks through to October 11, stopping a few times along the way becuase the weather was so good that they were able to stop and start. The first vintage in this tasting in the new cellar (that opened for the 2002 vintage), allowing for greater selection and plot by plot fermentation.