d'Issan Margaux 2005

97 points Jane Anson (Decanter): "Straight from the nose this makes you smile. It feels effortless and balanced, not breaking a sweat. The tannins are imperceptible but doing their job, and this is a great example of what you want a Margaux wine to do - it has incredible aromatics, tons of persistency, just keeps on going without losing power but also without trying too hard to impress. A smoky edge to the finish, this is intense with tons of cassis and blackberry, just a great wine with plenty of future ahead. A yield of 42hl/ha. Drinking Window: 2020-2044. (Dec 2019)"

96 points Robert Parker: "The more serious grand vin twin, the 2005 d’Issan, has a stunning nose of spring flowers, blackcurrant and blue/black fruits galore, and an impressively opaque dark plum/purple color. With a rich, concentrated and pure mouthfeel, wonderfully sweet tannin, full-bodied density and richness, but elegance in abundance, this is a stunner, and one of the great Margaux of the vintage. Drink it now and over the next 20 years. (Jun 2015)"

96 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "This was a much warmer vintage, the students who harvested the fruit reportedly doing so in swimwear. It is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. The difference in colour and apparent concentration in the glass between this and the 2000 vintage is quite notable;it is much more dense, nowhere near opaque but there is real concentration of pigment here, fading out to a slightly loose, pink-brick rim. The nose is also far from evolved, the fruit grilled and complex, with floral notes, touches of violet alongside the black olive, sandalwood and cedar, pencil shavings and black pepper. Cool, tense, concentrated, more tightly packed in on the palate, with much more serious intent, more texture, more dry extract, and a concentrated but less peppery finish. Long, and focused. While the 2000 is certainly ready to go now if you wish, this really deserves more cellar time yet. A very convincing vintage for Emmanuel Cruse and his team. Drink or hold. (Jan 2021)"

93+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2005 vintage at d’Issan is very strong indeed and this is likely to be viewed as one of the classic, great years at this property in the decades to come. Like the 2009 vintage, the blend here in ’05 was sixty percent cabernet sauvignon and forty percent merlot, and the wine offers up a deep and very promising bouquet of cassis, dark berries, espresso, cigar smoke, tobacco leaf, a vibrant base of gravelly, dark soil tones and a bit of spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and also quite reserved at the present time, with a rock solid core, ripe tannins, outstanding, tangy acids and great focus and grip on the very long, youthful and outstanding finish. Because of the higher acidity of the 2005 vintage, this will need a bit longer in the cellar to blossom that vintages like 2006, 2008 and 2009, but it will also be longer-lived and truly exceptional at its apogee. Fine juice. 2025-2075+. (Mar/Apr 2014)"

92 points Wine Spectator: "Displays blackberry and black licorice aromas, with some tar. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long finish. Tight and structured. Needs time. Best after 2013. (3/31/08)"

92 points Bettane & Desseauve's Guides to the Wines of France: "Very powerful and tannic, a noble wine with the firm tannins so characteristic of cabernet; "wild" leather notes bring a slight stiffness to the usual finesse of this terroir. Drink: 2011 up to 2030. (2011)"