Chateau Cissac, Cru Bourgeois, Haut Medoc

Lots of licorice and violets with some black currant and dark chocolate. Medium-full and juicy on the palate with silky tannins and bright fruit. Precise and lively with a fine texture. A bit linear but will open nicely with time.

This much-improved château is now performing well, as evidenced by this powerful and tannic wine. Showing ripe fruits, sweet tannins and tight acidity, it has weight, great spice from the wood aging and a deliciously juicy aftertaste. Drink from 2017.

Aromas of blueberries, walnuts and rose petals follow through to a medium to full body, round and juicy tannins and a flavorful finish. A blend of 75 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 20 per cent merlot and five per cent petit verdot. Drink in 2022.

Owned by the Vialard family, this property has produced an impressively dense wine that also has fine fruits. Plenty of acidity sets the wine’s course with freshness as well as structure, giving a firm aftertaste while never losing the liveliness. Drink from 2023.

Owned by the Vialard family, Cissac has maintained a reputation for classic, high-quality red Bordeaux for many years. 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot give this a sturdy, structured character which will evolve beautifully over several years. This cru bourgeois is precise, focused and finishes with a long, cool flavour of leafy, dark fruits.

The 2016 Cissac has a clean and pure bouquet with blackberry, boysenberry and cedar aromas that blossom in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine bead of acidity, quite precise with a focused, quite vibrant and persistent finish that is very satisfying. This is a great Cissac, a wine that will give 10 to 15 years of drinking pleasure. Tasted at the Oenoconseil tasting room in Bordeaux.

Perfumed nose of violet and geranium with plum and black currant notes. Fruity, lively and oh so generous and playful. Tannins coat the mouth fully but finely giving a chalky texture to the palate that stays the right side of being dry.- Georgina Hindle, Feb 2023

This is an impressive wine. Dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, it is full of black-plum fruits, rich tannins and great potential. The velvet texture brings out an opulent, succulent character that will remain as the wine ages

This is a powerful Cissac with a dense core of purple fruit and graphite, as well as chewy tannins. Full-bodied. Rich finish. One of the best wines from here in years.

The 2018 Cissac has a generous, fruit-driven bouquet, a mixture of red and black fruit laced with violet and light tobacco scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a potent marine/seaweed-influenced opening, tangy in the mouth with an iodine finish. This conveys a lot of personality. A fine Cissac that should give 12-15 years of drinking pleasure. – Neal Martin, March 2021

The deep purple-hued 2018 Château Cissac offers up a youthful, unevolved, yet impressive style that carries medium-bodied aromas and flavors of black cherries, mulberries, toasted spices, cedarwood, and leather. Complex and beautifully balanced, with ripe, polished tannins and outstanding length, it needs just a few years of bottle age but should shine for 7-8 years or more. – Nov 2021

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Owned by the Vialard family since the 19th century, this estate has produced a firm wine. Plenty of dry tannins underlie the finely textured black fruits. Wood aging has smoothed the fruit and deepened its concentration. Drink from 2026.

Very pretty, ripe fruit with blackberries, sweet tobacco and some chocolate. Medium to full body and round, ripe tannins. A slightly softer style.

The 2019 Cissac has a nose of bright red berries nicely interwoven with hints of graphite and cedar, all very focused. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and vibrant, with fine-grained tannins and gentle grip on the graphitetinged finish. This is a very fine Cissac to enjoy over the next decade. Neal Martin – February 2022

Suave and intense, delicate and powerful, silky and grained. Dense forest fruits, graphite and fresh pyrazine notes of blackcurrant and tomato leaves. Heady, long and showing plenty of promise. Nominated by Markus Del Monego MW. – Vincenzo Arnese, Dec 2022

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With vines near the Gironde Estuary far north in the Médoc, a textbook example of success from cooler Left Bank terroir in this vintage, with bright and brambly cassis and plum, delivered in a straightforward fashion. I like the mid-palate concentration and depth, although the finish is marked by somewhat strict tannins. In this case, barrel ageing in 25% new oak should smoothe such edges. Tasted twice with similar results.

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