2022 Château Giscours En Primeur
Released this morning for sale en primeur, 2022 Château Giscours (97-98 pts JS) at £300 per six bottles is described by Galloni as "regal" and "sublime" and receives a score of 97-98 points from James Suckling.
Both critics agree that this château is leaping up the ranks in terms of quality. This is partly due to the increased use of precision viticulture, but in 2022 the great age of the vines was an important factor.
With an average age over 50 years old, the vines' roots were deep enough to access reserves of water deep down in the usually free-draining Margaux soils.
With its intensity of dark fruit, freshness and precision, Giscours shines in 2022 and was not only one of the very best wines of the commune, but is almost certainly the finest wine we have tasted at this address in over 2 decades of visiting. Giscours was one of our most memorable wines of the vintage and is definitely a buy.
Offered en primeur, on allocation. Landing spring 2025.
Magnums available with £15 ex-VAT bottling surcharge, please enquire for other formats.
Bordeaux En Primeur, landing in spring 2025.
To order, e-mail us at sales@richardkihl.ltd.uk
Producer Profile
Château Giscours, Margaux Cru Classé
Château Giscours, is a Troisième Grand Cru Classé in the commune of Margaux. The estate dates to the middle ages, but by the mid-twentieth century it had fallen into disrepair, with just 1-0 hectares producing fruit. In 1954 it was bought by Nicholas Tari, who began the restoration of the vineyards. In 1995 Giscours was sold to Dutch businessman Eric Albada Jelgersma (also the owner of du Tertre, until its sale in 2021). He died in 2018 but the estate continues in his family's ownership.
The 90 hectares of vines are on Garonne gravel and are planted to 60 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 32 % Merlot, 5 % Cabernet franc and 3 % Petit Verdot. Alexander Van Beek has managed the estate for some years and is credited with improving quality greatly.
| RED | 2022 | 4 cases | Château Giscours | 75cl | £300 per case of 6 | Château Giscours 2022 / 4 cases / 75cl £300 per case of 6 |
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Tasting Notes"Well judged and executed, with the vintage character coming through with the rich plum, cassis and fresh fig fruits, alongside black pepper and clove spices, but overall the feel is savoury, with austere tannins that are clearly revving up and have plenty of character. Impressive lift also, with juice running right through the palate, giving breath to the concentrated muscular tannic frame. Austerity also at this point, relatively rare and welcome in 2022, and emphasising a floral and smoky curl on the finish. 50% new oak. Entire harvest in the Grand Vin for the first time ever at Giscours (although I assume there must have been some of the production that was not bottled under the label). Axel Marchal consultant, Alexander Van Beek director. 95 points" janeanson.com------"Clearly one of the finest vintages from this château, the 2022 Château Giscours reveals a dense purple hue to go with beautiful Cabernet-driven aromatics of smoky blue fruits, iron, lead pencil, and spring flowers, as well as an almost marine-like character developing with time in the glass. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has silky, perfectly integrated tannins, a great mid-palate, and outstanding length. It's a serious, age-worthy, incredibly impressive wine in the making. 94-96 points" Jebdunnuck.com------"With the 2022 Giscours, this estate takes another step up, delivering a deep and characterful wine redolent of cherries, dark berries, violets, peony and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, broad shouldered and layered, it's deep and elegantly muscular, with impressive concentration, abundant but refined tannins and a structural authority reminiscent of the great Giscours vintages of the 1970s. Why is it so good? There are many reasons, but one is the high proportion of old vines—almost 60% of the blend deriving from vines that are over 50 years old—in a vintage that favored vines with deep, well-established root systems. Another is the increasing precision of harvesting at this address: Giscours's old vines are frequently co-planted with younger replacements that have filled any gaps in the ranks over the years; so, blocks are now picked in two or three passages instead of all at once, with the younger vines picked first. 94-96+ points" William Kelley, RobertParker.com------"The 2022 Giscours is a regal, sophisticated wine. Succulent red cherry, blood orange, spice, menthol and rose petal lend notable vibrancy and freshness throughout. Most surprisingly, the 2022 remains light on its feet, especially for a wine made from such low yields in a warm, dry year. Over the last few years Giscours has been one of the most improved properties in the Médoc. The 2022 is another step in that direction. Sublime. 95-97 points" Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com------"The 2022 Giscours was picked between 1 and 29 September, one of the earliest ever, with no SO2 added until blending and using bio-protection (yeasts) to protect the must. It has a delightful and sensual bouquet with lifted, violet and peony-scented blueberry and black cherry fruit. This is very well-defined and perhaps the purest I have encountered from barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with a disarming silky texture, harmonious and focused. It's mineral-driven with a poised and pixelated finish. Certainly, this represents one of the best wines from this Margaux estate in recent years, echoing their golden period of the 60s and early 70s. Tasted twice with consistent notes. 2030-2070. 95-97 points" Neal Martin, Vinous.com------"This is a big move forward for Giscours. Full-bodied yet agile and fresh with tannins that are precise and integrated, with great beauty and length. Well-structured and vivid. Extremely fine yet defined tannins, and then it opens like a butterfly. 97-98 points" jamessuckling.com |
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