Château Giscours has constantly reinvented itself to survive the centuries.
Pierre de Lhomme, Marc Promis, Jean-Pierre Pescatore, Edouard Cruse, Nicolas Tari and now the Albada Jelgersma family – all ambitious and visionary estate owners who were passionate about pulling together the estate’s land and giving this vineyard, named a Third Grand Cru Classé in 1855, a reputation for excellence.
Dry and meagre gravel hilltops with slight variations give Giscours wines their structure and elegance.
This exceptional terroir suits our vines, which offer up the best of themselves under the influence of the oceanic climate.
On these arid, eroded soils formed of alluvial deposits, Garonne gravel transported from the Pyrenees during the Quaternary period, topography formed in the shape of what are known in the Médoc as ‘croupes gravelleuses’, or gravel hilltops. They allow excess water to drain off and enable Cabernet Sauvignon, the primary grape variety, to express itself to the full.
Giscours has three major hills, and blending these together is what gives Giscours wines their power and complexity:
Grand Poujeau & Petit Poujeau
To the west of the estate, reaching up 21 metres, Grand Poujeau is made up almost entirely of peyrosols. Brought here by the Garonne and the Dordogne, this beautiful gravel – of remarkable size – forms warm soils that are particularly well suited to Cabernet Sauvignon and enable high levels of ripeness.
Bel Air
This 12-metre hilltop has a high proportion of brunisols (gravelly sand to sandy gravel), considered to be a cooler terroir that likes hot and dry years.
The Giscours plateau, known as Cantelaude
At 17 metres, this is a clever combination of the two previous terroirs, providing fullness and depth to Merlot but also beautiful complexity to Cabernet Sauvignon.
On its hilltops, the vines’ root systems reach down up to ten or so metres, drawing the water they need in dry periods from subsurface layers of the soil. The grape varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot are therefore protected from extremes of climate.
The special talking point for 2018 is its balance of density and freshness.
The estate highlights how Merlot brings generosity and a rounded texture, while fully ripe Cabernet Sauvignon supplies structure and long ageing potential.
This makes it an appealing choice for drinkers who enjoy a substantial Bordeaux with floral detail.
A favourable late season allowed the Cabernet grapes to reach full maturity, with harvesting running from 12 September to 12 October.
The resulting wine combines ripe fruit and supple density with a firm framework for development in bottle.
Award:
96 James Suckling
96 Wine Enthusiast
95 Wine Spectator
93 Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
93 Jeb Dunnuck
91 Robert Parker
VIVINO 4.2
