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Giscours 2018

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Margaux
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

This is a classic Margaux vineyard that is under Dutch ownership and management - along with sister property Chateau du Tertre. The 95 hectares of vines are planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Alexander Van Beek told us that this has high tannin levels yet they are soft. He described 2018 as being like 2015 but with more precision and smoother in style.

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Giscours

Label

Tasting Notes

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.

97
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 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. 2022 - 2039

91
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (End of Mar), March 2021

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.

Drinking Window 2027 - 2042

95
Jane Anson, Decanter.com, April 2019

Tasted blind. Interesting savoury nose. Layers and glossy, juicy fruit that almost distracts from the drying tannins. 14.5%
Drink 2027 – 2042

16.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, February 2022

55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot; 50% new oak. New winemaker Lorenzo Pasquini likens Giscours to an oil painting and du Tertre to a watercolour. Barrel sample.
Inky core. Dark and introverted but beckons you in to find out more. Soberly seductive. A dark, savoury charm, a smooth but compact texture. Gravelly like its site. Not obvious and in your face, but refined in its power. Opens up to dark perfume. Most elegant vintage of Giscours I have tasted. (JH) 13.7%
Drink 2024-2033

17
Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2019

Deep black colour with blue fruits and roasted coffee bean on the nose, as well as a peppery warmth of alcohol. The palate is rich in tannins and somewhat foursquare at this stage, leaving the concentrated fruit somewhat at odds with the firm nature of the wine. There are hints of green pepper alongside the riper damson notes on a long and firm finish.

90+
Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, April 2019

(55 Cabernet Sauvignon, 39 Merlot, 6 Petit Verdot) | 30% new oak | 14% alc This is a structured Giscours and it is a well-built and flavour-packed wine, too. I like the nose and the palate doesn’t overstep the mark and this means that it manages to keep on track all of the way to the finish. One of my favourite Giscours in recent vintages, I am impressed with this wine.

17+
Matthew Jukes, MatthewJukes.com, April 2019
Read more tasting notes...

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.

96/97
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, April 2019

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.

90/92+
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (April 2019), April 2019
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.