Château Giscours - Margaux 3ème Grand Cru Classé 2014

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Deep color, impressive body, good tension, still a little hard in the tannin.

About the domain :

This huge 300-hectare estate (80 hectares of which are farmed) in Labarde has had a turbulent history, due to a series of delicate family successions. The vines have remained in the Tari family since 1952, but the wine is made by a talented team under the direction of Alexander van Beek, inspired by the courage of the recently deceased Eric Albada Jelgersma. As the estate's farmer, he restored it to its former glory. Because of its terroir, this cru produces a particularly colorful, full-bodied Margaux that can be laid down for a very long time, with a character quite different from the crus of the northern part of the appellation. When successful, it can rival Château Palmer, but prices remain more reasonable than its rival.

Decanter

Guide Hachette des vins

About the wine:

The intensity and depth of the color, and above all the strength of the bouquet, a harmonious marriage of red fruits and spicy, toasty wood (aged in 50% new barrels for at least 15 months), give this wine immediate presence. Tasty, toasty and licorice-flavored on the palate, this well-melted 2014 combines great power with a fine tannic structure, sufficient to guarantee a happy evolution.

About the domain :

Giscours is one of the largest domains in the Médoc (100 ha), commanded by a monumental château built by the banking family of the Counts de Pescatore to welcome Empress Eugenie to her Biarritz resort. Very representative of the Médoc Grand Cru in terms of its buildings, Giscours is also representative in terms of its beautiful terroir of deep gravel and great homogeneity. This third-growth Margaux classé also owns parcels in the Haut-Médoc appellation for two labels: Ch. Duthil and Haut-Médoc de Giscours.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

The 2014 Giscours has progressed by leaps and bounds since I tasted it twice in barrel. On the nose, it's clearly more sophisticated and complex than the du Tertre. For a start, there's more complexity in the fruit, with red cherry, raspberry and blackcurrant, all enhanced by cedar and graphite. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, pure red cherry and crushed strawberry fruit with a precise finish that the estate has never been able to offer before. This is a very fine Margaux that should keep for 20 years.

About the domain :

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

At this stage, Giscours is still a little firm, but precise and balanced, with a finish that carries it well.

About the domain :

The vineyard, farmed by the Dutch Albada Jelgersma family, is run by the talented Alexander Van Beek. Let's leave aside the legal wrangling between the Tari family, who own the land, and the farmers, and focus on the wines. Giscours benefits from a first-rate terroir, and many older vintages bear witness to this. Like many other vineyards, it went through a period of decline in the 90s and 2000s. A major restructuring of the vineyard has enabled the cru to move forward again, and the latest vintages are returning to its full, intense style.

Wine Spectator

Wine Enthusiast

About the wine:

Always dry and concentrated, with rich tannins, the wine is dark and dense. The background of ripe black fruit is impressive. Clearly with considerable ageing potential, drink this serious wine from 2025 onwards.

Jancis Robinson

Vinous A. Galloni

James Suckling

About the wine:

Blueberries, tar and licorice on the nose. Full-bodied, solid and dense. Velvety tannins. Long finish. I'm really into this wine! Needs at least two or three years to mellow.