Chateau Giscours 2019

A prestigious Third Growth Margaux offering refined aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, violet, cedar, and subtle spice. Silky tannins, vibrant freshness, and exceptional structure deliver remarkable elegance, depth, and a long, harmonious finish worthy of extended cellaring.

Food Pairing: Pairs best with roast lamb, beef Wellington, duck breast, venison, wild mushrooms, and aged hard cheeses.

97 Points - James Suckling

This is youthful and ripe, with lots of blue fruit, some violets, graphite and an appetizing twist of pepperiness and grilled herbs. The palate is juicy, full-bodied and structured, with dusty tannins and a pretty dense center palate. This is very consistent with the 2018 quality, with even a bit more precision on freshness and tannins.

96 Points - Vinous

The 2019 Giscours is ripe and extrovert on the nose with exuberant black cherries, blueberry and crushed violets bursting from the glass. This is very seductive. The palate is medium-bodied with a tang of seaweed infusing the black fruit on the entry, segueing into more tarry notes toward the well structured finish. This articulates a sense of completeness that I appreciate. The persistency is impressive. This is a superb, potentially long-term Giscours that may well end up at the top of my banded score. -- Neal Martin
Barrel Sample:94-96

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.

94 Points - Decanter

This is a serious Giscours, with medium intensity violet-edged ruby colour. High aromatics on the nose with cumin and cloves, followed by black cherry and cassis fruits that do a good job of filling the palate, and a cooling menthol finish as the tannins close in. Enjoyable overall, succulent yet with precision. Harvest lasted for an entire month, from September 11 to October 12, the longest ever at the estate and a reflection of more precise plot-by-plot work, with vines separated according to age and terroir.
Barrel Sample: 94

94 Points - Jeb Dunnuck

Checking in as a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot, the 2019 Château Giscours is one heck of an impressive Margaux. Deep purple-hued, with a great nose of both black and blue fruits as well as sappy herbs, tobacco, and flowers, it has nicely integrated oak, medium to full body, ripe yet certainly present tannins, and a great finish. It's beautifully done. Hide bottles for 4-6 years and enjoy over the following two decades or so. Rating: 94+

93 Points - Wine Spectator

Really solid for the vintage, with a fresh edge to the mix of black currant, blackberry and fig paste flavors. This wine's energy extends through the finish, where humus, singed cedar, savory and iron-tinged minerality add range and cut. Still shows the vintage's excessive heat, but this manages it better than most of its peers. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.