VITICULTURE
Château Giscours maintains their oldest plots using interplanting. Young vines are selected and then planted among the old ones. Sustainable viticulture, striving for agroecologyAre you over 21 years old?
Château Giscours Margaux 2018
$88.90
Château Giscours Margaux 2018
$88.90
Margaux
2018
3rd Growth
55% Cabernet Sauvignon
39% Merlot
6% Petit Verdot
Region: Bordeaux
ESTATE HISTORY
The history of Château Giscours goes back to the 14th century, at which time an impressive keep protected the estate from potential attacks.
However, the true creation of the estate can be considered to date from the purchase of the “maison noble de Guyscoutz” by Pierre de Lhomme, a rich cloth merchant, in 1552. This marked the beginning of Château Giscours’ winegrowing tradition.
The estate underwent a golden age in the 19th century thanks to wealthy and influential owners such as the Promis, Pescatore, and Cruse families. This is also when Giscours underwent a number of important changes: the château was transformed into a neoclassic palace, the grounds were landscaped by Eugène Bülher, rare tree species were planted, and immense outbuildings were built, including the famous Ferme Suzanne…
In 1995, a Dutch businessman, Éric Albada Jelgersma, took over management and set about meticulously renovating the vineyard and buildings to make this prestigious estate fully worthy of its third growth ranking in the 1855 classification.
TERROIR
The exceptional terroir of Château Giscours is spread over 83 hectares of vines in the Margaux appellation. Moreover, various geological studies have revealed the highly qualitative origin of our terroir: an alluvial deposit of Garonne gravel, dating from the ancient quaternary, serves as the foundation of our vineyard. It is on these arid lands, eroded, formed of alluvial deposits, of Garonne gravels carried from the Pyrenees in the quaternary that were formed the reliefs called in Medoc “gravelly croups”. They allow the drainage of excess water and let the Cabernet Sauvignon, the dominant grape variety, find its most beautiful expression.
More than half of the vineyards are now cultivated using organic agriculture methods, a proportion that is increasing every year. At Giscours, soil and vine maintenance is constantly being rethought and improved.
WINEMAKING
Once they have been harvested, the grapes are sorted, gently de-stemmed, then sorted once again using optical sorting so that only the highest-quality grapes are used. Pre-fermentation cold maceration is performed to enhance the fruity aromas before the alcoholic fermentation stage. This stage also takes place at low temperatures with gentle extraction, similar to an infusion, and shielded from the air to protect the fruit’s freshness. Then comes malolactic fermentation, performed in the vat. The wine then gains fullness and density as it matures in French oak barrels. This oak is part of the process of creating the wine, adding elegant, soft tannins and allowing a tiny amount of oxygen through to polish the wine’s structure.
TASTING & FOOD PAIRINGS
When tasted, Château Giscours offers all the classicism of a great Margaux: fine tannins, purity, soft and refined elegance, great roundness in the mouth. It is a wine that evolves magnificently over time and whose pleasure of tasting is transmitted from generation to generation.
Black currant, dried-blueberry, oyster-shell, black-olive, black truffle, and bitter-chocolate aromas. It’s full-bodied with firm, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Savory and mineral layers interplay with the black fruit. Powerful and chewy yet very polished and beautiful.. Try from 2024.
Always a significant wine, this latest release with powerful while also stylish black fruits fits into a well-regarded tradition. The density and broad fruitiness of the wine make fine foils for each other. It is firmly structured and set for aging. Drink this wine from 2027.
95 points Wine SpectatorVery expressive, with violet and lilac notes followed by creamed plum and mulled blackberry and black currant fruit flavors. Subtle anise, juniper and sanguine notes thread the very long finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Best from 2024 through 2036.
When tasted, Château Giscours offers all the classicism of a great Margaux: fine tannins, purity, soft and refined elegance, great roundness in the mouth. It is a wine that evolves magnificently over time and whose pleasure of tasting is transmitted from generation to generation.
*Please note the image is of a representative bottle. For pictures of the actual bottle please contact us.