An absolute classic that shouldn't be missing from any cellar!

The Château Giscours Margaux 3rd Grand Cru Classé from the late Eric Alberda Jelgersma has turned out very well. General Manager Alexander van Beek and his team are bringing this Bordeaux estate to a height it has not reached since the 1970s. 2019 is another great purchase. The Château Giscours Margaux 2019 is a beautiful vintage. In the glass, it has a lovely dark purple color. The 2019 is a blend of primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with the remainder Cabernet Franc and a little Petit Verdot.

It is a medium to full-bodied wine with beautiful notes of espresso, red fruit (cherry, raspberry), licorice, and leather. It also has a very refined aroma of flowers and fruit with non-overpowering oak notes. It slowly rises from the glass with aromas of sweet berries, cherries, lilac, and violets framed by a discreet extra layer of new oak. Full, layered, and concentrated, polished and perfumed. With a velvety, seamless profile and bright, animating acidity, ending with a long, resonant finish. This is Bordeaux in Optima Forma! Classic as classic Bordeaux can be! On the palate, the wine is round, juicy, and ready to drink.

Since the takeover in 1995 by the Dutch businessman Eric Albada Jelgersma Château Giscours is completely “back on track.” This is a Bordeaux with enormous cellar potential. In any case, leave it alone for the first 5-6 years. But there is no need to rush; it will certainly keep until 2055. Perfectly suited for grand Christmas dinners.

Left the past behind for good.

Giscours produced a number of brilliant wines in the past, with a series of remarkable successes in the 70s and early 80s, but then fell victim to neglect. The predominance of Cabernet Sauvignon in those old vintages, which sometimes represented more than 80% of the blend, gradually gave way to the more productive and smoother Merlot, and the estate's reputation declined. When the Albeda family took over Giscours in 1995, all that began to change. A full 140,000 diseased or missing vines were replaced, soil tillage was resumed, and the winery was renovated. A young Alexander van Beek arrived in 1995 for the harvest. He eventually stayed on to oversee the work. And today's results are indeed very exciting.

Giscours itself covers three large gravel hills. One opposite the castle itself, another on the other side of the road, and a third inland reaching 21 meters above sea level. In addition, there is a large park with a river in the heart of the estate, and the team is creating nature corridors and hedges to bring life back to the vineyards. During the harvest itself, vines of different ages are marked to be harvested separately: a huge task, considering Giscours has 100 hectares of vines in the Margaux appellation alone. The 2019, however, demonstrates that all the work is worthwhile: this is the best Giscours of the new era, and it is worth seeking out.

Reviews of Chateau Giscours

• Robert Parker 95 points
• James Suckling 96 points
• Jane Anson 94 points