November 13, 2024
Giscours 2020 - A rich powerful style that's classic Giscours
“This is an excellent Giscours, extremely precise, well drawn and seductive. There is both concentration and spice, and a vivid sappy feel to the raspberry and bilberry fruits, all drawn out through the palate as the slate texture kicks in.” - Jane Anson, Decanter
Chateau Giscours, a Third Growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, is now one of the most esteemed estates in Margaux. Though it fell short of its classification in the late 1980s, Dutch businessman Eric Albada Jelgersma’s acquisition in 1995 marked a new era of revitalisation. With significant investments in vineyard management and winemaking, Jelgersma and his team restored Giscours to its former glory. Today, Chateau Giscours produces some of Margaux’s finest wines, reflecting a legacy of excellence and elegance.
The 2020 vintage marks another exceptional year for Bordeaux, capping a trio of outstanding vintages beginning in 2018. Resulting from a hot, dry growing season, the 2020 wines are ripe, concentrated, and well-structured, yet they retain an impressive focus and purity. Overall as a vintage, 2020’s evoke a slightly more refined and elegant version of the acclaimed 2010 vintage, showcasing Bordeaux’s remarkable adaptability and quality.
With a 96-point score from Antonio Galloni, the 2020 Chateau Giscours is the highest-rated vintage from Vinous, surpassing the top recent vintages like 2015 (95-Points), 2009 (93-Points), 2010 (90 points) and legendary vintages such as 1961 which scored 95 points.
The scores for Chateau Giscours 2020 are impressive across the board, with 96 points from James Suckling and 95 points from both Decanter and the Wine Advocate. Jeb Dunnuck awarded it 94+ points, noting its “remarkable purity and one heck of a great finish.” He describes it as "another beautiful Margaux from this vintage" that will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and evolve gracefully for at least two decades.
Overall, the 2020 offers a wonderful, rich, powerful style that's classic Giscours. With a sensible price tag of €48 In Bond per bottle, the 2020 Giscours comes highly recommended.
Giscours 2020
96 Points | Vinous, Antonio Galloni
The 2020 Giscours is every bit as compelling as it was from barrel. Succulent dark cherry, plum, new leather, licorice, menthol and mocha fill out the layers nicely. There's a good bit of Merlot in this year, which lends quite a bit of mid-palate juiciness and textural depth, but there is also plenty of supporting structure underneath. The 2020 is both flamboyant and serious, a pretty appealing combination, I have to say. Tasted two times.
95 Points | Wine Advocate, William Kelley
This estate is now enjoying its finest run since its glory days in the 1970s, and the 2020 Giscours is excellent. Unwinding in the glass with deep aromas of blackberries, cassis, pencil shavings, rose petals and sweet, loamy soil, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a layered and seamless mid-palate, excellent concentration and powdery structuring tannins.
95 Points | Decanter, Jane Anson
This is an excellent Giscours, extremely precise, well drawn and seductive. There is both concentration and spice, and a vivid sappy feel to the raspberry and bilberry fruits, all drawn out through the palate as the slate texture kicks in. Plenty of things to keep track on here, not least that this is now the only estate in Margaux owned by the Albada family, as they have sold du Tertre. The focus is now entirely on Giscours, and I would expect to see a concerted effort to raise the visibility of the property. Changes include Thomas Duclos as consultant since 2019, and vineyard choices such as intra-plot harvesting, meaning going in waves through the plots picking individual vines when they are at full ripeness. Plus, Jerome Poisson is the new technical director (a French Canadian, who worked in Napa, Italy, Chile, Cognac and Alsace), replacing Lorenzo Pasquini. 50% new oak for ageing. A yield of 35hl/ha.