Chateau Giscours 2019

The 2019 Giscours is every bit as compelling today as it was from barrel. Dark and sumptuous in feel, Giscours shows off its notable dimension and breadth. Succulent black cherry, plum, leather, tobacco, menthol and licorice intensify as this gorgeous, beautifully layered Margaux builds with time in the glass. The 2019 is a big wine, but not quite as exuberant as the 2018. Tasted two times

• Drinking Window: 2029 - 2049
• Reviewer Name: Antonio Galloni
• Review Date: February 2022

The 2019 Giscours has turned out very well in bottle, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet berries, cherries, burning embers, lilac and violets framed by a discreet patina of new oak. Full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's polished and perfumed, with a velvety, seamless profile and bright animating acids, concluding with a long, resonant finish. Alexandre Van Beek and his team are taking this estate to heights it hasn't hit since the 1970s, and this is another of the great bargains of the 2019 en primeur campaign.

• Drinking Window: 2029 - 2065
• Reviewer Name: William Kelley
• Review Date: April 2022

The 2019 Giscours has certainly calmed down since its bravura performance from barrel, now more streamlined and focused, albeit retaining that black and blue fruit interlaced with pressed violet. The harmonious palate is very finely tuned and beautifully structured, with a touch of salinity. This is one of the more precise Giscours in recent years, perhaps partly due to consultant Thomas Duclos, who began working with the estate in 2018 (he was actually born nearby). This reminds me of some of the classic Giscours such as the 1966 or the 1970. It may even merit a higher score with bottle age.

• Drinking Window: 2025 - 2060
• Reviewer Name: Neal Martin
• Review Date: February 2022

Checking in as a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, the 2019 Château Giscours is one heck of an impressive Margaux. Deep purple-hued, with a great nose of both black and blue fruits as well as sappy herbs, tobacco, and flowers, it has nicely integrated oak, medium to full body, ripe yet certainly present tannins, and a great finish. It's beautifully done. Hide bottles for 4-6 years and enjoy over the following two decades or so.

• Drinking Window: 2026 - 2048
• Reviewer Name: Jeb Dunnuck
• Review Date: June 2020

Rosebuds, smoked clove spices and violets give a classical Margaux feel on the nose, and provide an enticing opening to what is a well constructed wine, with chewy tannins and an architectural, structured feel overall. Much of the structure is hidden at this point, but no question that this is a Giscours with personality and potential for long ageing. First vintage with Thomas Duclos as consultant, harvest September 11 to October 12, with vines separated according to age and terroir. 44hl/ha yield.

• Drinking Window: 2029 - 2046
• Reviewer Name: Jane Anson
• Review Date: January 2022

This is a serious Giscours, with medium intensity violet-edged ruby colour. High aromatics on the nose with cumin and cloves, followed by black cherry and cassis fruits that do a good job of filling the palate, and a cooling menthol finish as the tannins close in. Enjoyable overall, succulent yet with precision. Harvest lasted for an entire month, from September 11 to October 12, the longest ever at the estate and a reflection of more precise plot-by-plot work, with vines separated according to age and terroir. Thomas Duclos is consultant here as of the 2019 vintage. A yield of 44hl/ha.

• Drinking Window: 2028 - 2044
• Reviewer Name: Jane Anson
• Review Date: May 2020