Château Giscours: : history and quality of its wines

Château Giscours has a long and rich history and a strong identity created by the innovative and ambitious families of owners who have succeeded one another. It was first mentioned in a historical document as a fortified dungeon in the 14th century but its first reference to the title of wine producer dates back to the mid-16th century. The estate was awarded the rank of 3rd Grand Cru in the official classification of 1855. An overview of the history of Domaine Giscours and a look at its best vintages.

History of Domaine Giscours.

Before the Revolution, this spectacular estate located at the gates of Margaux, 20 minutes from Bordeaux, belonged to the Saint-Simon family. The State sequestered it as national property during this key date in French history and sold it to two Americans: John Gray and Jonathan Davis in 1793. The estate has changed hands several times since then, but the credit for the expansion of the site (over 200 hectares), the construction of buildings, stables, presses, vats and cellars goes to Marc Promis. These renovations date from 1825 to 1835. These efforts earned him the classification of 3rd Grand Cru in 1855. Eduard Cruse, for his part, made the estate look its best by converting it into a vast park and lush garden in 1875. Many owners followed until it was bought by Nicolas Tari in 1952, who also made a large contribution to the reconstruction, enlargement and modernization of the site. The last change of owner was in 1995. At that time, Château Giscours was sold to Eric Albada Jelgersma, a Dutch businessman. But the estate experienced the darkest moment in its history in 1998 when it was accused of illegal practices against the AOC laws of the Margaux appellation by mixing fruit from the Haut Médoc appellation with other vines, milk, water and fruit acid. These include the 1995 and 1996 vintages. The former director Jean Michel Ferrandez admitted the allegations and brought it to a former employee. Alexander van Beek, the General Manager, with the agreement of the now late Eric Albada Jelgersma then makes a change of team to restore the reputation of the establishment. Under the direction of Alexander Van Beek, the vineyards were also replanted and the machine harvest was abandoned in favor of manual harvesting. This allowed the winery to obtain ISO 9002 certification in 2001 and regain its strong reputation for excellence.

Terroir and winemaking procedures at Domaine Giscours.

This large estate of 300 ha with a vineyard of 87 ha is planted with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. The sandy-limestone soil also contains gravel. The average age of the vines is 45 years and they can reach 32 m. But the property also has old vines of 70 years old near the castle. The estate adopts the optical technology and the biodynamic approach which proscribes the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. The vinification process is carried out in concrete and stainless steel tanks ranging in size from 20 to 260 hl. 80% of the fermentation is done in tanks and 20% in concrete. The wines are then aged in 50% new French oak barrels for an average of 18 months.

Quality of the wines of the Château Giscours..

The estate's Grands Crus are renowned for their elegant, feminine style with great length on the palate and their excellent value for money. It is a wine that evolves beautifully with about ten years in the bottle and reaches its maximum maturity after 12 to 30 years depending on the vintage. Moreover, their wine always receives the best rating from the international press.