CHATEAU GISCOURS

Château Giscours, a 3rd Grand Cru Classé with over 450 years of history in Margaux

Château Giscours, an estate with a rich heritage

The history of Château Giscours, once the noble house of “Guyscoutz,” dates back to the 16th century when a wealthy draper, Pierre de Lhomme, decided to plant vines on wild lands between 1552 and 1571.

After the French Revolution, the château was sold as national property. The industrialist and wine merchant Marc Promis acquired it between 1825 and 1847. He restructured the vineyard to restore its former glory and built infrastructures adjacent to the Château, including stables, to elevate the wine production to the level of its neighbors.

From 1847 to 1875, Jean-Pierre Pescatore and his heirs took over. As an enlightened enthusiast and financier, he invested in the estate to enhance its prestige and global renown. In 1855, Giscours was ranked as a 3rd Grand Cru Classé. This recognition marked an important qualitative acknowledgment for the wines produced by Giscours.

Then, from 1875 to 1890, Giscours came into the hands of Edouard Cruse, a modern winemaker responsible for the magnificent park and the Ferme Suzanne. The grandeur of the park is reflected in the reputation of the landscape architect, Eugène Bühler, a graduate of the Royal School of Horticulture in Versailles.

Giscours, a label with an iconic historical emblem

The symbol of Giscours is a mermaid. The symbolism is strong: the Mermaid represents freedom, a connection to nature and the oceans, a link to the magical world and muses. This mystical creature has adorned the Grand Vin labels of the Château since 1900 and inspired the name of the second wine, La Sirène de Giscours.

The imprint of Nicolas Tari

Shortly after the Second World War, visionary Nicolas Tari undertook an ambitious restructuring of the 300-hectare estate starting in 1952. His son, Pierre Tari, took over in 1970. The wines shone with a renewed brilliance: voluptuous, with silky tannins and pronounced, confident maturity.

A historic turning point, Château Giscours in the Jelgersma family era

Pierre Tari decided to sell the leasehold rights of the estate in 1993–1994 to a Dutch businessman passionate about wine, Éric Albada Jelgersma, who became tenant of the vines for a 25-year lease.

Under this new vision, significant investments were made to modernize the estate while preserving its prestige and heritage. Profound changes were made to improve wine quality both in the vineyard — with in-depth terroir studies, vineyard restructuring, and adoption of more sustainable viticultural practices — and in the winery, with rehabilitated and new infrastructures featuring state-of-the-art vinification technology.

Alexander Van Beek, current Managing Director of Château Giscours since 1995, launched a new dynamic within the estate. He decided to shift the grape composition, formerly dominated by Merlot, to give pride of place to Cabernet Sauvignon, now representing 75%. He justified this major decision in Giscours’ wine identity as a necessary adaptation to climate change, which caused significant overripeness in Merlot, sensitive to rising temperatures in Bordeaux. Furthermore, Alexander Van Beek “believes that the great, racy grape of the Médoc is Cabernet; it ripens beautifully today.”

Since then, Giscours has continued to reinvent itself. In 2019, a new product joined the collection — a rosé made from a well-defined plot of Cabernet Sauvignon cultivated specifically for this production. The Rosé x Giscours is a premium cuvée produced using only the first press juices.

2019 also marked the creation of the Giscours Vegetable Garden, specially designed to supply La Table de Giscours and highlight local, seasonal, ultra-fresh produce and the zero-kilometer concept.

That same year saw the launch of a new partnership with the Conservatoire des races d'Aquitaine. Around sixty Landes-breed sheep now occupy the lands of Giscours.

In 2022, Château Giscours celebrated its 450th vintage.

Château Giscours, living wines crafted with passion by a committed and expert team

The heritage of Château Giscours is maintained and enhanced daily through the work and passionate commitment of teams united around a common vision: to make Giscours wines shine on the international stage.

The best vintages of Château Giscours

Each team and key player at the estate has been marked by a particular vintage: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010.

Château Giscours 2004 is the favorite wine of Didier Foret & Jerome Poisson, respectively Technical Director & Estate Manager.

“Tasted during the Château Giscours vertical, the 2004 is a blend of 58% Cabernet Sauvignon and 42% Merlot, harvested between September 30 and October 16. It presents a very pleasant bouquet of ripe blackcurrant, raspberry coulis, mineral notes, and violets that blossom nicely in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. Not a complex Giscours, rather conservative and a little austere. However, the freshness and finesse on the finish are to be commended, offering delicate tarry notes in the aftertaste. Perfect for drinking now, but can cellar for another 10 to 15 years. Best between 2015 and 2030.” — Neal Martin 91 / 100

Château Giscours 2005 is the favorite wine of Alexander van Beek, Managing Director.

“The 2005 Giscours is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, with a touch of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot from this large estate. It’s loaded with blue, red, and black fruits, licorice, spices, with a hint of oak and earth in the background. It is medium to full-bodied, offering soft, velvety tannins and impressive purity and length. This wine is already drinking beautifully and should continue to evolve gracefully for another 12 to 15 years or more. Drink between 2015 and 2030.” — Robert Parker 91 / 100

Alexander van Beek knows Château Giscours well. Initially arriving for an internship, he decided to stay and has been part of the management team since 1995.

Château Giscours 2006 is the favorite wine of Benjamin Laurent, Chef de Cuisine.

“Herbaceous, earthy, and truffle notes mingle with aromas of sweet cherries, plums, and currants in this supple, medium garnet-colored wine, which has evolved surprisingly well and will ideally drink over the next 10 to 15 years. I appreciate the smoothness of this wine, whose concentration is very good, though it is maturing quickly.” — Robert Parker 88 / 100

Château Giscours 2009 is the favorite wine of Michaël Sanders, Wine Tourism Manager. Notably ranked among the Top 100 Wines of 2012 by Wine Enthusiast.

“Dark and structured, this wine is solidly built. It offers smoky oak notes, powerful tannins, and intense ripe fruit aromas. Acidity and sweetness balance to give a dense, rich wine destined to age for many years.” — Wine Enthusiast 95 / 100

Château Giscours 2010 is the favorite wine of Laure Bastard, Sales Director.

“Aromas of mint and blackcurrant with hints of fresh herbs, evolving toward plum jam. Full-bodied, with well-integrated tannins and lovely fruit. Long and caressing. Truly exceptional. Best enjoyed from 2017.” — James Suckling 95 / 100

Giscours, a wine of Margaux

The wines of Château Giscours are renowned for being elegant with fine, silky tannins, reflecting the Margaux appellation. Harvesting is done by hand, with meticulous manual sorting to ensure precision and accuracy in the wine. The wine is then aged for 18 months in French oak barrels to bring depth, complexity, and subtle notes from the aging process.