There is clear spice here right upfront, with lovely dark fruits running throughout. Plenty to recommend in this enjoyable, unfussy wine from owner Marie Vialard. It has an aromatic elegance which is typical of Bordeaux, with strong wooded flavours at this young stage. These are going to be there to support the ripe jammy fruit. 

First and foremost, wine is an expression of pleasure. It must have its own personality and character which reflects the history of its terroir and the expertise of the winegrower. The wines of Château Cissac are superior, classic wines, which combine the strength of the Médoc and the aromatic elegance of the greatest of the Bordeaux wines. They have a distinctive depth of colour and a subtle balance between aromas of cherry and plums, mingled with liquorice and smoke.

This wine is great to drink just now, but it will certainly age very gracefully, critics suggest this will still be drinking well until the late 2020s.  Perfect with your Sunday Roast and a wide range of red meat dishes.

Critic Review

Decanter Magazine: 89Pts Silver Medal
Drinking Window: 2022 - 2025

"Smooth and oh so satisfying, this has a lovely crunchy texture with crisp fruit flavours and tannins that are fine and well integrated. It's not plush or particularly overt, more calm and quiet, definitely showing signs of the vintage, with cool tones and subtle minerality. It has a gentle charm with softly sweet fruit and a piquance from cinnamon, clove and liquorice. Nice elements but lacking a little density in the mid palate. Juicy and fun though. A playful style that's easy to drink."
Georgina Hindle

JancisRobinson.com: 16Pts
Drinking Window: 2022 - 2027

"Unnecessarily heavy bottle. Colour of black cherries with purple rim. Rich black fruit on the nose, a touch of cassis leaf adding lift, surprisingly open. Sweet-fruited and with some oak sweetness on the palate too but with the savoury quality of the Médoc to balance the fruit. Finely textured and supple tannins and a lovely freshness from start to finish."
Julia Harding MW

About the Producer

Chateau Cissac is the family home of the Vialard family. This charming estate is situated close to St Estephe and Pauillac and is planted predominantly with Cabernet Sauvignon. Other Medoc varieties: Merlot and Petit Verdot are also planted and are incorporated in the final blend. Laurent Saint Pasteur, the winemaker is passionate and knowledgeable, striking just the right balance between tradition and modernity. The wines always have a Medocain character, but advances in wine-making have resulted in more refined tannins and greater purity of fruit; recent vintages possess a poise and sophistication that is very impressive.

Château Cissac is enjoyed by wine lovers all over the world. Gracing the best European, Asian and American tables, it has impressed the greatest international wine experts and critics who regularly rank it amongst the top Bordeaux wines. 

According to legend, one that is borne out by the existence of several ancient remains, the magnificent 18th century charterhouse that is the château Cissac of today was built on the remains of a Roman villa. What is in any case certain is that the château is home to a long established family tradition of cultivating the vine. Today the vineyards are managed by Marie Vialard, a direct descendant of Jacques Mondon who bought the estate in 1895, and Louis Vialard, who restored it to its former glory in the middle of the 20th century.

Vineyard and Winery

Château Cissac is located right in the heart of the Médoc region. Its exceptional terroir adjoins that of the prestigious Saint-Estèphe and Pauillac appellations, extending over an area of around a hundred hectares. The soil is mainly sandy gravel on top of clay and limestone, and the vineyards occupy a single tract of land which is sheltered by the village of Cissac and the forests which surround it. In keeping with Médoc tradition, the vineyards are mainly planted with their traditional variety, Cabernet Sauvignon. This variety is ideally suited to the type of terroir in Cissac, where its strength and aromas can realise their full potential. Blended with elegant Merlots and spicy Petit Verdots, Cabernet Sauvignon produces wines that are particularly complex and expressive.

Respecting the demands of the climate, the particularities of the terroir, the nature of the grape varieties and wine making tradition : these are the core principles which govern the running of the estate. But in order to fully benefit from the intrinsic qualities of its vineyards, and to enable its wines to reveal their maximum intensity, Chateau Cissac is continually striving to improve the quality of its production process. Modernisation has included improving the biodiversity of the soil, introducing a policy of systematically renewing vine stocks, maintaining and renewing barrels, and a sustainable optimisation of age-old winemaking techniques.