Giscours 2020

This is an excellent Giscours, extremely precise, well drawn and seductive. There is both concentration and spice, and a vivid sappy feel to the raspberry and bilberry fruits, all drawn out through the palate as the slate texture kicks in. Plenty of things to keep track on here, not least that this is now the only estate in Margaux owned by the Albada family, as they have sold du Tertre. The focus is now entirely on Giscours, and I would expect to see a concerted effort to raise the visibility of the property. Changes include Thomas Duclos as consultant since 2019, and vineyard choices such as intra-plot harvesting, meaning going in waves through the plots picking individual vines when they are at full ripeness. Plus, Jerome Poisson is the new technical director (a French Canadian, who worked in Napa, Italy, Chile, Cognac and Alsace), replacing Lorenzo Pasquini. 50% new oak for ageing. A yield of 35hl/ha.Drinking Window 2028 - 2044

(56% CS, 44% M; two thirds harvest; 36hl/ha; 50% new)Dense, sweetly red-fruit ripe nose, subtly wild-rose herbal; rich, concentrated without any excess, moderate in superfine tannin, and with a perfectly integrated tannin and acidity; delicately sweet-cored, with a lovely aromatic scope, complexity and length, a superb combination of fruit, aromas, and silky texture, very long across the palate, with a finesse not seen here before, and with lovely delicate, fragrant length. A wine that very clearly signals a new era for Giscours, working with OenoTeam’s Thomas Duclos, and picking in tries, as in Sauternes, parcel by parcel, according to vine age, the maturity of individual vines, and so on. It certainly shows! A most beautiful Giscours, dense yet light on its feet, transparent and so fine in texture. Very Margaux—which, for all its virtues, was not something one often said about Giscours in the past. This is in a different league, and in a very different style, from the famous ’70s Giscours: 1970 and 1975. Really a revelation of the terroir! Alexander Van Beek’s smile was as wide as his wife Véronique’s in her new winery at Haut-Bailly! 2028–50+.

The 2020 Giscours has a fresh and vibrant bouquet with blackberry, blueberry, crushed violet and iris flower scents. As I remarked from barrel, there is a conspicuous gap between the Grand Vin and Deuxième Vin this year. The palate is smooth on the entry, quite sapid with hints of black olive infusing the black fruit. Harmonious, the 50% new oak neatly folded in, especially on the seductive finish. Interestingly, a decanted bottle had a bit more austerity on the finish than the one just poured.

The 2020 Giscours was picked from September 21 to October 2. The huge difference in quality between the Grand Vin and Deuxième Vin is apparent on the nose of crystal-clear black fruit intermixed with raspberry, crushed stone and light crushed violet aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, taut and crisp, and quite tensile, leading to a classically styled, sapid finish. This is a classy Giscours with plenty of breeding. Drink 2024-2050.

Aromas of crushed berries, dried flowers and spices with undertones of ink and iron. Full-bodied with wonderful, fine tannins that are totally embedded in the structure. Endless length and such refinement. Rather ethereal. Another winner from Giscours.