Appellations

Giscours 2018

Margaux, Third Growth

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Tasting Notes

The 2018 Giscours is based around a slightly higher proportion of Merlot (39%) this year. It has an attractive bouquet of tightly packed blackberry, bilberry and freshly rolled tobacco, desiccated orange peel emerging with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, structured and grippy. The very saline finish needs a little more finesse and refinement. Not bad, but it needs bottle age to shave its rough edges.

Score: 92 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2023 - 2045 Date: 21 August 2021

The 2018 Giscours contains a high percentage of Merlot this year. It was picked from September 12 – incidentally, the same start date as in 2019. It was cropped at 35hl/ha after some mildew earlier in the season, especially on the organically cultivated plots. Matured in 50% new French oak, it has an attractive bouquet of blackberry, raspberry, rose petals and touches of orange peel. The medium-bodied palate is quite cohesive and refined, with fine tannins and notes of white pepper sprinkled over the red fruit. This is a classic Giscours and, with 13.8% alcohol at the moment, the DNA of the château really comes through.

Score: 91 - 93 Neal Martin, Vinous.com Maturity: 2023-2045 Date: 01 November 2019

Lots of ripe black cherry and cassis fruits as well as graphite, lead pencil, and scorched earth notes emerge from the 2018 Château Giscours, a medium-bodied Margaux that has a fresh, focused texture, plenty of underlying structure, and the purity of fruit that's the hallmark of the vintage. This beautiful Margaux builds nicely with time in the glass, and while it plays in the more elegant side of the spectrum, it has terrific mid-palate depth, stunning balance, and outstanding length. I think the 2019 might ultimately surpass it, but it's certainly in the same ballpark as the 2016. Give bottles 3-5 years and enjoy over the following 20 years or more.

Score: 93 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com Maturity: 2024 - 2044 Date: 19 July 2021

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Giscours opens with fragrant notions of kirsch, black cherry compote and blackcurrant pastilles with suggestions of dried lavender, cinnamon stick and mossy tree bark. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers a good amount of red and black fruit flavors with compelling purity, framed by soft tannins and well-balanced freshness, finishing with a spicy lift.

Score: 91 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2022 - 2039 Date: 15 July 2021

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Giscours delivers expressive notions of baked raspberries, Black Forest cake and sautéed herbs with a core of crème de cassis, pencil lead, fertile loam and fallen leaves. Full-bodied, taut and muscular in the mouth with earth-laced baked black fruits, it has a firm, chewy texture and refreshing herbal sparks on the finish.

Score: 90 - 92 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Date: 23 April 2019

Deep purple in colour with violet edging, this is beating fast with juicy bramble fruit and life. You can feel the texture of the berries in the mouth, making this a luxurious, confident Giscours, with swirls of smoke backed up by spice. There's an effortless quality to the tannins, but this is definitely built to last. It easily stands up to the 2015 and 2016. Harvest lasted for a full month, from 12 September to 12 October. Aged in 50% new oak.

Score: 95 Jane Anson, Decanter.com Maturity: 2027-2042 Date: 16 April 2019

The black color indicates a solid and structured red with loads of blackberry and blueberry character. Full-bodied and very tight and tensioned. Savory tannins that are powerful and intense at the finish. Classically structured. Finely toned and formed young red.

Score: 96 - 97 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Date: 11 April 2019

The 2018 Giscours is another in a series of brilliant wines from the estate. Bold and explosive in the glass, with tremendous fruit richness, the 2018 has so much to offer. In 2018, Giscours is radiant, exotically ripe and incredibly inviting, with a relatively high percentage of Merlot that adds juiciness. All the elements are in gorgeous harmony. The 2018 is an especially fine Giscours. It is certainly the best recent vintage I have tasted. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot. Tasted two times.

Score: 93 - 96 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Date: 01 April 2019

A very solid wine, with a dense core of steeped plum and blackberry puree flavors, liberally infused with black tea, alder and sanguine accents. The long finish unfurls nicely, revealing depth and a caressing feel.

Score: 93 - 96 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator Date: 01 April 2019