- Château d’Issan 2022 has been released for £612 per 12×75.
- ‘Cohesive with a touch of Japanese nori’, said Neal Martin who rated it 93-95 points.
- Buyers looking for value have several options, including the 2019 and 2020 vintages.
As part of this year’s Bordeaux En Primeur campaign, Château d’Issan 2022 has been released at €51 per bottle ex-négociant, up 21.4% on the 2021 release (€42 per bottle).
It is being offered by the international trade for £612 per 12×75, a 21.9% increase on the 2021’s opening price (£502 a case).
The new release is one of the most expensive on the market. As such, buyers looking for value have several options, including the 2019 and 2020 vintages. See more pricing analysis below.
Critics’ scores
Neal Martin (Vinous) awarded the wine a barrel range of 93-95 point, highlighting the ‘fragrant bouquet’ of blackberry, blueberry and dark chocolate. He emphasises that this ‘represents the first vintage vinified in the new vat room’, from Château d’Issan, and adds that it ‘will need a decade in bottle’.
‘This is one hell of an Issan’, writes James Suckling, who gave the wine a score of 96-97 points. In his words: ‘goes tight at the end, indicating greatness’.
Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux) rated the wine at 95, noting that the wine delivers ‘estate signature’ flavours while maintaining the ‘finesse of Issan’.
William Kelley (Wine Advocate) scored it at 93-95 points, calling the 2022 Issan a ‘lovely wine that will delight Médoc purists’.
Fair Value analysis
Using Liv-ex’s ‘Fair Value’ methodology, prices for Château d’Issan are 55% correlated to Neal Martin scores.
Looking at the chart below, today’s release is coming to the market above the regression line.
Buyers looking for other opportunities might want to consider the 2019 vintage. It holds a score of 95 points from Neal Martin (Vinous), the highest of the last decade. It is available at a discount of 25.5% to today’s release.
The 94-point 2020 also comes in below the Fair Value line, available at a discount of 25.7% to the 2022. Also with 94 points, the 2015 and 2016 are available at discounts of 18.3% and 19.1% respectively to today’s release.
The lower-scoring 2017 and 2018 also might be interesting as an entry point into an in-demand label. They each sit below the Fair Value line and are available at a discount of 29.7% and 23.2% to the 2022.
Our Bordeaux En Primeur 2022 page contains everything you need to know about this year’s campaign. You can also sign up for our daily En Primeur email alerts using the form below.
Liv-ex analysis is drawn from the world’s most comprehensive database of fine wine prices. The data reflects the real-time activity of Liv-ex’s 620+ merchant members from across the globe. Together they represent the largest pool of liquidity in the world – currently £100m of bids and offers across 16,000 wines.
