Château Giscours Haut-Médoc de Giscours 2020

Grown in plots selected from Château Giscours' historic Haut-Médoc terroirs, the family’s third wine has been made by the Giscours team ever since it was created in 1992. Giscours brings a very special care to this wine to offer consumers a wine with elegance and finesse at a very affordable pricepoint. Calling it 'a wine for pleasure', Haut-Médoc Giscours is a convivial, fresh wine revealing the beautiful aromatic radiance that forms part of the Giscours identity. The vineyard workers at Giscours meticulously cultivate their Haut-Médoc vines (60 ha in total) all year round in keeping with the same philosophy of the grand vin in Margaux. Balance and finesse remain key. The terroir, a mixture of fine gravel and sand, ensures a hugely delicate wine. With abundant fruit, delicate tannins and fresh finish, this is a wine of which the team at Giscours is very proud of, and which fully deserves its place alongside Giscours’ top wines.  

Giscours' Haut-Médoc plots benefited greatly from the ideal conditions of 2020. The resulting Haut-Médoc is a generous wine with a rich bouquet of sun-drenched fruits. Haut-Médoc Giscours 2020 is an enjoyable, convivial and delightful wine, full of aromatic brilliance. Grapes were harvested from September 9th to October 1st, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot. Hand sorting at the winery further enhanced the quality. Fermentation was done in concrete and stainless-steel tanks. Maceration 35 days at 28°C, and aging in barrels for 12 months in barrels. 

Château Giscours was named a Third Growth Grand Cru Classé in 1855, before the appellation of Margaux was even officially created. Over the centuries, this historic estate has maintained a reputation for excellence, and during our visit to Giscours in May 2024, we were incredibly impressed by every aspect of production from vineyard management with organic viticulture; their commitment to biodiversity and 'gentle' winemaking practices (such as on sulfites used in winemaking until very low amounts in the final blending to simply stabilize the wine); sustainable actions such as on-premise vegetable gardens and livestock on their farm; maintenance of a huge park and meadow.... it goes on and on! Giscours even provides housing on the property for all of their employees. This place is magical, and so are the wines.

During our visit, we were struck by how all the wines at this estate have a style which is 'very Giscours', meaning: full of flavor and complexity, silky, refined and balanced, fresh and aromatic, dense yet elegant, very precise in its expression of 'Margaux', and finally, remarkably approachable in youth, yet capable of aging for years or even decades, depending on the vintage. This Haut-Médoc was a real eye-opener! It is from a vineyard on the border of Margaux! And it is very Giscours!!!