| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Margaux |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Serious improvements are taking place here (and also at sister property du Tertre) under the Dutch manager, Alexander Van Beek. The 95 hectares of vines are planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Always a classic Margaux.
The 2016 Giscours has a very pure, refined bouquet featuring lifted blackberry, cassis and light violet aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins, well-judged acidity and finely integrated oak toward the precise finish. This is what a finely crafted Margaux looks like, and I suspect it will get even better with bottle age. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting. 2023 - 2050
This is extremely long and linear with a powerful and refined texture of superfine tannins. Full-bodied, yet so tight and polished. The finish is very, very impressive. Snaps at the end. Better than the 2015?
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2016 Giscours gives up aromas of cassis, chocolate, earth, tar, pepper and hoisin with touches of flowers and a meaty nuance. The palate is medium to full-bodied, firm and grainy with a great core and a long finish.
Drink Date: 2019 - 2035
Giscours has been hitting it out of the park for a number of vintages now, and we are squarely back in this territory for the 2016. Firm tannins, among the biggest in the appellation, but not overdone because of a vibrant, flexible quality to these essential elements of structure. The sheer volume of bilberry and cassis fruits on the full, dark palate show that clearly the anthocyanin and IPT counts are right up there. This is complex, layered and well held together.
Drinking Window 2027 - 2050
Tasted blind. Quite savoury and saline on the nose. Sweet and round. Not that much tannin. Only just enough acidity. Velvety. Evolved.
Drink 2024 – 2034
Serious improvements are taking place here (and also at sister property du Tertre) under the Dutch manager, Alexander Van Beek. The 95 hectares of vines are planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Always a classic Margaux. 80% Cabernet Sauvignon in 2016, which is a very high proportion for this Chateau, indicating some of the stress that Merlot endured on the left bank. Deep colour with blueberry and wood smoke on the nose. The palate has a sweet core of black fruit which is lifted by clean, fresh acidity and supported by ripe, silky tannins. The long finish is harmonious and floral, showing great typicity o the region.
Sweet and ripe on the nose the start of the palate has a rich mix of black fruits. The supple fleshiness in the middle is backed by freshness bright at the back richer more depth on the finish. 2025-39
The 2016 Giscours comes off the back of the superlative 2015, not an easy wine to follow. It clearly boasts more horsepower on the nose compared the de Tertre, presenting layers of blackberry, cedar and crushed violet aromas that leap from the glass. The medium-bodied palate is crisp and focused, with grainy tannin and a pencil-box-infused finish. Winemaker Alexandre van Beek has retained the density this Margaux showed out of barrel, to offer a classy wine that will benefit from several years in bottle. Drink 2023-2050
The 2016 Giscours is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 19% Merlot, the highest percentage of Cabernet in recent years, picked between 26 September and 20 October. It was cropped at 45 hectoliters per hectare with 13.2% alcohol, which is a little less than in 2015. Naturally that dominant proportion of Cabernet drives the aromatics with blackberry, cedar and graphite aromas. The palate is very well structured, more masculine than the 2015 and maybe without quite the same level of precision, but there is great density and length to this Giscours. I found that improved in the glass, gaining more energy from the ether. It is an impressive follow-up to last year's Giscours. Drink 2022-2055.
Glowing purple. Concentrated and sappy - real energy here. Glossy and fresh. Really exuberant. Perhaps not one of the most earnestly fashioned for the very long term but a real crowd-pleaser.
Drink 2024-2040
