d'Issan white wine
The new white wine harvest at Château d'Issan.
(Image credit: Château d'Issan)

Pickers went to work at the Margaux third growth Château d’Issan last week (19 September), harvesting the crop for a new white wine due to be released next year.

However, rather than picking Sauvignon Blanc or Sémillon, the two staple white grapes found in and around Bordeaux, they were instead collecting bunches of Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne and Rolle (Vermentino) – varieties native to France’s Mediterranean south.

Lockdown project

The idea for d’Issan to produce a white wine began in 2020. The 45th parallel runs through the estate and a small 1.7 hectare plot directly on the parallel was lying unused.

Mulling on possibilities during March of 2020, it was decided that the estate would produce a white wine from it.

Soil pits dug during that year as part of a pre-planting study confirmed it would be a good spot for white varieties, given the underlying limestone soils with clay towards the top.

White wine wave

Many fellow Bordeaux crus classés have produced white wines for a long time, though many did not sell them commercially.

Château Mouton Rothschild’s Aile d’Argent and Château Margaux’s Pavillon Blanc are two of the most famous examples of Médoc whites that have been available for a while.

Increasingly, however, estates in the region have begun releasing white wines to complement their ranges, either from new plantings, or, on occasion, releasing white cuvées previously held for private consumption.

So much so, in fact, that a Médoc Blanc appellation is currently under consideration, a development Panos Kakaviatos recently explored for Decanter.

However, all of these wines conform to the traditional model for Bordeaux Blanc, being blends that favour either Sauvignon Blanc or Sémillon, perhaps with a dash of Muscadelle.

Not like the others

From the beginning, the d’Issan team decided on a very different future for their small plot.

They instead considered varieties from both the Côtes du Rhône and Piedmont – two more regions that likewise lie on the 45th parallel.

After much deliberation and tasting, they chose the Rhône grapes.

Owner and managing director, Emmanuel Cruse, told Decanter: ‘After extensive research and soil analysis, we concluded that these four varieties would provide good and interesting results when grown on the soil of this plot (clay and limestone).

‘It is a kind of experiment for us – we do not want to be the 85th Bordeaux blend with Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and eventually Muscadelle!

‘We organised a blind tasting with our team and we collectively preferred these varieties (which are grown elsewhere on the 45th parallel, like d’Issan) in terms of taste.’

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(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Garden of Issan

Planting began in July 2021, using clones and rootstocks that were ‘carefully selected’ with help from nurseries in the Côtes du Rhône.

The wine will be unveiled during next year’s en primeur tastings. It will go by the name ‘Jardin d’Issan’ – a nod to both the size of the vineyard and the polycultural approach taken by the estate within its historic walled vineyard.

Given the unusual blend (for the region), it will also be classified as a Vin de France.

Rupert Millar
Rupert Millar
Assistant Editor