97 Points, James Suckling
A ripe and layered red with lots of currant and chocolate character, as well as some walnut and cocoa powder. Crushed stones, too. It’s full and layered with round tannins and a juicy and plush texture. Crushed velvet that turns to silk. Very cool and long. Plenty going on here. Give it three to four years to come together. But will age beautifully for years to come. A blend of 65% cabernet sauvignon and 35% merlot.
96 Points, Vinous
Quite simply Giscours is magnificent in 2019 and also one of the rising stars of Margaux today. Pliant, supple and creamy the 2019 races out of the glass with striking dimension. Ripe red cherry red plum blood orange spice and new leather all flesh out in a radiant finessed Giscours that hits all the right notes. The 2019 is fabulous – that’s all there is to it. Tasted two times. My tasting with General Manager Alexander Van Beek and Estate Manager Lorenzo Pasquini was one of the highlights of several weeks of the Zoom calls all of us will remember from this very particular campaign. According to Van Beek and Pasquini 2019 was one of the longest harvests on record. The Merlot was picked early to preserve freshness while the Cabernet needed several additional weeks to achieve full physiological ripeness. Cuvaisons were long 35 days on average but pumpovers were stopped earlier in order to avoid overextraction. This new approach along with the input of super-talented consulting oenologist Thomas Duclos yielded two superb 2019s that continue Giscours’ ascendency in Margaux and Bordeaux.
96 Points, Decanter
Gorgeous floral aromatics, so perfumed and pretty, really leaping out the glass with an amazingly vibrant pink/purple colour too. Such an excellent delivery of flavour on the palate, you have shiny, bright fruit and well-expressed terroir with smooth and supportive tannins. It shows the heat of the vintage in the density and deep core of spice-edged red and black fruit but also has a juicy, bright acidity that underpins the fruit and keeps things refreshing. Full of elegance, precision and confidence – all the elements in harmony with consistency and persistence. A wonderful wine.
95 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
The 2019 Giscours has turned out very well in bottle, wafting from the glass with aromas of sweet berries, cherries, burning embers, lilac and violets framed by a discreet patina of new oak. Full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it’s polished and perfumed, with a velvety, seamless profile and bright animating acids, concluding with a long, resonant finish. Alexandre Van Beek and his team are taking this estate to heights it hasn’t hit since the 1970s, and this is another of the great bargains of the 2019 en primeur campaign.