Giscours 2015

Margaux, Third Growth

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Tasting Notes
The 2015 Giscours has a beautiful, clean, pure bouquet of generous ripe black cherry, raspberry and crushed violet aromas that could only come from Margaux. The medium-bodied palate is quite dense but wonderfully poised, offering sappy red fruit and very fine tannin and delivering impressive detail on the bay leaf and tea leaf finish. Alexandre van Beek oversaw one of the best Giscours in recent years. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting. Score: 95 Neal Martin, Vinous.com 01 July 2019
The 2015 Giscours showed magnificently when I tasted it from barrel and I made allusions to the legendary 1961, which I have been fortunate to taste two or three times. I have no reason to change this view. It has a very refined bouquet that is almost understated at first, but then blossoms in the glass with copious blackberry, raspberry, flint and graphite aromas. The palate is very well balanced with great depth and real vibrancy. There is a slight chalkiness to the texture, extraordinarily fresh with superb mineral tension on the long finish. This is a great Giscours that will age beautifully over many years. Score: 95 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2022-2060 01 February 2018
The 2015 Giscours is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. That is in stark comparison to older vintages, for example the 2000 Giscours that was 50/50 Cabernet and Merlot. This vintage is matured in 50% new oak. Winemaker Alexandre Van Beek told me that the 2015 "...reflects the true terroir at Giscours that created the great wines of the 1960s and 1970s." That is something to live up to with fresh memories of the 1961 in my brain. The bouquet is very intense and almost "untamed" at first, but it calms down in the glass, revealing attractive scents of blackberry, raspberry, cedar and graphite. This is a Giscours determined to make a good impression...and it does. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, very pure, a little spicier than recent vintages, adorned with a gentle crescendo in the mouth towards a really quite fantastic, tensile, complex and compelling finish. Having tasted the 1961 and 1970 Giscours just a few months ago, I wager that the 2015 will be the best since the 1961. Time to fall back in love with this great Margaux property. Score: 94 - 96 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2025-2060 01 April 2016
Polished and rounded in feel, with a solid core of plum and blackberry compote flavors, lined with light hints of charcoal, tobacco and violet. Nice perfumy tobacco and warm tar notes show on the finish. Very well-integrated, making this approachable now, but there's no rush. Best from 2020 through 2035. Score: 93 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator Maturity: 2020-2035 31 March 2018
Solid, with warm plum, fig and blackberry reduction notes, inlaid with a lovely alder accent. Flows beautifully through the long, velvety finish. Score: 92 - 95 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 01 April 2016
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Giscours opens with expressive cassis, blackberry and red currants on the nose with touches of cedar chest, roses and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied with a good core of muscular fruit and firm, grainy tannins, it finishes long. Score: 94 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2019-2039 21 February 2018
Plenty of violets and dark berries on offer here. This has a striking sense of purity as well as an energetic, regal palate. The structure is impressively groomed with effortless depth and length. A standout wine. Try from 2022. Score: 96 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Maturity: 2022+ 02 February 2018
This sets a new level for Giscours with blackberry, black truffle and blackberry. So much walnut and cedar. Full body, dense and incredibly long and powerful. Clearly the best Giscour since 1970 and 1975.. Score: 96 - 97 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 01 April 2016
The 2015 Giscours is every bit as compelling from bottle as it was from barrel. Deep, powerful and virile in style, the 2015 has a lot to say. There is a purity to the aromas and flavors in the 2015 that I don't recall seeing in the past. Ripe and ample, with terrific freshness and nuance, the 2015 is compelling in every way. In 2015, the blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, with no Cabernet Franc. Score: 94 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2022-2040 01 February 2018
The 2015 Giscours is terrific. In fact, this may be one of the very best recent vintages I have tasted here. Ample and quite broad in its first impression, the 2015 possesses magnificent depth from start to finish. Even with all of its intensity, the 2015 retains striking freshness and delineation. Succulent dark cherry, plum, blood orange and sweet spice notes all flesh out in the glass. Creamy, silky tannins add to the wine's considerable appeal. The purity of the fruit here is striking. The blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, with no Cabernet Franc this year. The 2015 is a terrific Giscours. Score: 91 - 94 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 01 April 2016
Attractively perfumed ripe black cherry fruit and floral notes. Delicacy versus the robustness of 2014 but with a very polished texture to the fruit. Full-bodied and long. Score: 91 - 94 Albany Vintners, - 27 April 2016
Attractively perfumed ripe black cherry fruit and floral notes. Delicacy versus the robustness of 2014 but with a very polished texture to the fruit. Full-bodied and long. Score: 91 - 94 Albany Vintners, - 27 April 2016
Dark crimson. Relatively light nose. Very luscious sweet fruit on the palate - a very winning wine with a medium charge of tannin. Just a little inky on the finish. But good and appetising. Score: 17 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2023-2035 01 April 2016

Tasting Notes

The 2015 Giscours has a beautiful, clean, pure bouquet of generous ripe black cherry, raspberry and crushed violet aromas that could only come from Margaux. The medium-bodied palate is quite dense but wonderfully poised, offering sappy red fruit and very fine tannin and delivering impressive detail on the bay leaf and tea leaf finish. Alexandre van Beek oversaw one of the best Giscours in recent years. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.

Score: 95

Neal Martin, Vinous.com 01 July 2019

The 2015 Giscours showed magnificently when I tasted it from barrel and I made allusions to the legendary 1961, which I have been fortunate to taste two or three times. I have no reason to change this view. It has a very refined bouquet that is almost understated at first, but then blossoms in the glass with copious blackberry, raspberry, flint and graphite aromas. The palate is very well balanced with great depth and real vibrancy. There is a slight chalkiness to the texture, extraordinarily fresh with superb mineral tension on the long finish. This is a great Giscours that will age beautifully over many years.

Score: 95

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2022-2060 01 February 2018

The 2015 Giscours is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. That is in stark comparison to older vintages, for example the 2000 Giscours that was 50/50 Cabernet and Merlot. This vintage is matured in 50% new oak. Winemaker Alexandre Van Beek told me that the 2015 "...reflects the true terroir at Giscours that created the great wines of the 1960s and 1970s." That is something to live up to with fresh memories of the 1961 in my brain. The bouquet is very intense and almost "untamed" at first, but it calms down in the glass, revealing attractive scents of blackberry, raspberry, cedar and graphite. This is a Giscours determined to make a good impression...and it does. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, very pure, a little spicier than recent vintages, adorned with a gentle crescendo in the mouth towards a really quite fantastic, tensile, complex and compelling finish. Having tasted the 1961 and 1970 Giscours just a few months ago, I wager that the 2015 will be the best since the 1961. Time to fall back in love with this great Margaux property.

Score: 94 - 96

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2025-2060 01 April 2016

Polished and rounded in feel, with a solid core of plum and blackberry compote flavors, lined with light hints of charcoal, tobacco and violet. Nice perfumy tobacco and warm tar notes show on the finish. Very well-integrated, making this approachable now, but there's no rush. Best from 2020 through 2035.

Score: 93

James Molesworth, Wine Spectator Maturity: 2020-2035 31 March 2018

Solid, with warm plum, fig and blackberry reduction notes, inlaid with a lovely alder accent. Flows beautifully through the long, velvety finish.

Score: 92 - 95

James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 01 April 2016

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Giscours opens with expressive cassis, blackberry and red currants on the nose with touches of cedar chest, roses and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied with a good core of muscular fruit and firm, grainy tannins, it finishes long.

Score: 94

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2019-2039 21 February 2018

Plenty of violets and dark berries on offer here. This has a striking sense of purity as well as an energetic, regal palate. The structure is impressively groomed with effortless depth and length. A standout wine. Try from 2022.

Score: 96

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com Maturity: 2022+ 02 February 2018

This sets a new level for Giscours with blackberry, black truffle and blackberry. So much walnut and cedar. Full body, dense and incredibly long and powerful. Clearly the best Giscour since 1970 and 1975..

Score: 96 - 97

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 01 April 2016

The 2015 Giscours is every bit as compelling from bottle as it was from barrel. Deep, powerful and virile in style, the 2015 has a lot to say. There is a purity to the aromas and flavors in the 2015 that I don't recall seeing in the past. Ripe and ample, with terrific freshness and nuance, the 2015 is compelling in every way. In 2015, the blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, with no Cabernet Franc.

Score: 94

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2022-2040 01 February 2018

The 2015 Giscours is terrific. In fact, this may be one of the very best recent vintages I have tasted here. Ample and quite broad in its first impression, the 2015 possesses magnificent depth from start to finish. Even with all of its intensity, the 2015 retains striking freshness and delineation. Succulent dark cherry, plum, blood orange and sweet spice notes all flesh out in the glass. Creamy, silky tannins add to the wine's considerable appeal. The purity of the fruit here is striking. The blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot, with no Cabernet Franc this year. The 2015 is a terrific Giscours.

Score: 91 - 94

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 01 April 2016

Attractively perfumed ripe black cherry fruit and floral notes. Delicacy versus the robustness of 2014 but with a very polished texture to the fruit. Full-bodied and long.

Score: 91 - 94

Albany Vintners, - 27 April 2016

Attractively perfumed ripe black cherry fruit and floral notes. Delicacy versus the robustness of 2014 but with a very polished texture to the fruit. Full-bodied and long.

Score: 91 - 94

Albany Vintners, - 27 April 2016

Dark crimson. Relatively light nose. Very luscious sweet fruit on the palate - a very winning wine with a medium charge of tannin. Just a little inky on the finish. But good and appetising.

Score: 17

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com Maturity: 2023-2035 01 April 2016

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