The undeniable charm that Bordeaux is able to arouse with enviable constancy, is one of the distinctive features that has allowed its wine trade to thrive over the centuries. This observation also applies to Château Giscours, a wine obtained from a landowner, in the area of Margaux, taken over by Pierre de l’Horme in 1552, and expanded progressively until 1571. The history of this Château is obviously rich in anecdotes, among which it is impossible not to mention the one that occurred, at 2500 meters of altitude, in 1870, during the conflict between France and Prussia. In fact, it seems that M. Gambès and M. Barry have eaten in a hot air balloon with two bottles of Château Giscours flying over the border of the clash and throwing in the Prussian lines an empty bottle with the message “Delicious meal, great Château Giscours and good appetite!”.
A few years later, in 1885, during the famous classification by the hands of the Bordeaux merchants, the Château was included among the Troisièmes Crus, thanks to the oenologist of the time, Edouard Cruse, and to the historic cellars, created in 1847 by Pierre Skawinski. As for the vineyards from which that wine was obtained, it was a hundred hectares that remained almost unchanged in these last two centuries of history, and composed of three highlands with different characteristics. The highest, Le Grand & Petit Poujeau, is located at 21 meters above sea level and consists of large gravels that form warm soils, particularly suitable for Cabernet Sauvignon. On the other hand, at just 12 metres above sea level, stands the Bel Air flat, whose composition is a mix of smaller gravel and sand, a soil that guarantees greater freshness, and from which are obtained most of the grapes in particularly hot years. The last plateau, the Plateau de Giscours (also known as Cantelaude), a perfect mix between the first twoi plots, rises at 17 meters above sea level, and is the most suitable for Merlot and the more spicy and less fruity type of Cabernet Sauvignon.
The vines distributed between these three plots are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot and, for each of them, there are plots dating back to a century ago (1923) where, slowly, a meticulous process of clonal replanting is carried out. In order to preserve this historic treasure, since the beginning of the 2000s, the winery has begun a process of conversion to the biological regime combined with the struggle for the preservation of natural water reserves. Alongside these initiatives, it was decided to return to ploughing with light mechanical means (to avoid excessive compaction of the soil and to preserve its transpiration) and to the practice of grassing between the rows necessary for the practice of green manure.
The current production, which includes a rose wine (Le Rosé x Giscours), an entrance red (Haut-Médoc Giscours), and a real Second Vin (La Sirène de Giscours), obviously sees in the homonymous Grand Vin its standard-bearer. His 2005 vintage consists of Cabernet Sauvignon (62%) and Merlot (38%) and was harvested in several steps (from 22 September to 6 October), first picking the grapes of the younger plants and giving time to the older ones to reach perfect maturation. After optical sorting and light maceration, to avoid excessive extraction, the wine fermented and macerated for 35 days, at a controlled temperature of 28 ºC, before aging in barriques, new to 50%, for over a year.
After the proper oxygenation, the wine showed off a ruby color still pretty intense, with the first brick-colored streaks, and an olfactory fan that opened on notes of vinyl, dried flowers, cooked plum and tomato paste, followed by durone cherry, eucalyptus, black pepper and Balkan Sobranie tobacco, with empyrumatic and blood/ferrous final echoes. The palate has confirmed the elegance of Giscours, with a pleasing balsamic freshness, a body of medium structure, a tannin still alive, albeit totally blunt, and a clear blood/ferrous sensation; all enriched by the return of the most noble spices and a touch of red fruit that accompanied the sip to an excellent length closure.
Rating: 92/100
Want to find out what I can do for you? Click here!
