Giscours - Margaux 2022

Alexandre Ma

95

par Alexandre Ma le 10/03/2025

When tasting Château Giscours 2022 during En Primeur, I had this strange feeling: everything was there, yet there seemed to be no thread connecting all the elements. However, after trying the bottled wine, my perception completely shifted. To be honest, Château Giscours of this vintage is incredibly pure, fresh, and vibrant. As cherry and strawberry juices flow across the palate, there’s a crystal-clear freshness, almost as if it could escape from the glass if you weren’t paying attention. To me, there are three key reasons for this exquisite flavor: First, the early harvest (starting September 1 with the young Merlot and finishing by September 29), preserving the perfect acidity. Second, reducing the height of the canopy minimized water evaporation, making the fruit healthier and crisper. Finally, gentle maceration helped reduce potassium extraction from the skins, keeping the pH level much lower than expected. While the 1982 of Château Giscours remains my benchmark from hot vintages, the 2022 vintage, with its more dynamic expression, delivers a different kind of brilliance.

Wine Advocate

96

par William Kelley le 07/03/2025

The 2022 Giscours has realized all the potential it showed en primeur, wafting from the glass with a deep bouquet of sweet berries, mint, rose petals and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's textural and enveloping, built around lively acids and sweet powdery tannins, concluding with a long, resonant finish. As I pondered two years ago, why is the 2022 so good? There are many reasons, but one is the high proportion of old vines—almost 60% of the blend derives from vines that are over 50 years old—in a vintage that favored vines with deep, well-established root systems. Another is the increasing precision of harvesting at this address: Giscours's old vines are frequently co-planted with younger replacements that have filled any gaps in the ranks over the years; so, blocks are now picked in two or three passages instead of all at once, with the younger vines picked first. The team also adapted hedging practices to limit hydric stress, which helps to explain the sweetness of the tannins.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

95

par Jane Anson le 07/03/2025

Has energy and lift, brambled hedgerow, good tension and controlled power, slate, crayon, sage, liquorice, crushed rocks, highly successful Giscours. Axel Marchal consultant, Alexander Van Beek director, 50% new oak for ageing.

The Wine Cellar Insider

96

par Jeff Leve le 04/03/2025

Giscours, Château

Jeb DUNNUCK

97

par Jeb Dunnuck le 28/02/2025

The deeply colored and glass-staining 2022 Château Giscours is packed with cassis, black cherries, violets, and graphite-like aromatics. Medium to full-bodied, it’s concentrated and intense, with beautifully ripe tannins, a pure, graceful mouthfeel, and a long, structured finish. There’s serious depth here, and while it already shows remarkable balance, I suspect it will shut down for a period before emerging as a classic Margaux a decade or so after the vintage. This beauty is going to be long-lived, and you can expect at least 30-40 years of prime drinking. Based on 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and equal parts Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, it’s a serious, age-worthy Giscours. Tasted multiple times with consistent results.

Yvesbeck.wine

97

par Yves Beck le 25/02/2025

64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot Le bouquet de Giscours se positionne avec une sérénité que j'ai rarement observée dans ce vin ! L'excellent niveau de ce 3e Grand Cru Classé de Margaux n'est plus à démontrer ; il s'agit surtout de relater ses moult aptitudes, ses détails, les raisons pour lesquelles il a de quoi graviter parmi les très grands vins de l'appellation. La symbiose entre fruits murs et frais, entre eucalyptus, framboises, épices douces et réglisse est invitante, convaincante. Sapide et puissant dès le toucher de bouche, le vin convainc par son aptitude à autant briller de sa finesse que de sa puissance. Cette dernière est mesurée, ordonnée, bien menée avec pour précieux alliés l'austérité et l'acidité. Un vin presque cérébral, mais heureusement, le caractère tactile prend le dessus grâce à une acidité structurante et salivante. Un vin puissant et, surtout, précis ! 2027-2052 97/100

Vinous

95,5

par Neal Martin le 12/02/2025

The 2022 Giscours has a more backward nose than I envisaged, which is not a bad thing at this early stage, unfolding with blackberry, blueberry and brine scents. There is real concentration here, but it feels like it's going back into its shell. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins. Fresh and more sapid than many of its Margaux peers, this has a striking linearity toward the finish. As I suspected from barrel, this Giscours will require more bottle age than other vintages, but it will be worth waiting for.

Jamessuckling.com

98

par James Suckling le 03/02/2025

Stunning aromas of blackcurrants, dark mushrooms and black cherries with forest-floor notes. Full body that fills your mouth with fine, caressing tannins and dark, flavorful fruit. The tannins are very intense and structural, spreading across the palate in layers and giving intensity and energy. Plenty of energy and verve here. This has gravity, too. 64% cabernet sauvignon, 30% merlot, 3% petit verdot and 3% cabernet franc. Best after 2029.

Vinous

96

par Antonio Galloni le 28/01/2025

The 2022 Giscours is compelling, just as it was _en primeur_. Deep, layered and inviting, the 2022 possesses notable textural richness and intensity. Yields were down about 25%, and drought starting in May produced tiny berries with thick skins. The 2022 is a very rich Giscours, one that will need a number of years to shed some baby fat. But even with all of that obvious richness, the 2022 clocks in at 13.5% alcohol. This is such a classy wine. Tasted three times.

Wine Spectator

95

par James Molesworth le 27/01/2025

Warmed cassis and plum notes form the core, while lilting lilac, violet and iris accents stream throughout. Offers a flash of black tea on the finish, along with a beguiling, cashmerelike mouthfeel. Judicious toast lets it all play out beautifully. A pitch-perfect example of the vintage profile. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2040. 15,000 cases made.

Wine Maniacs

94-95

par Lin Liu le 30/05/2023

Decanter.com

96

par Georgina Hindle le 25/05/2023

A seriously impressive and beguiling Giscous in 2022 and one of the most elegant. A remarkable wine with gorgeous clarity and purity and just the most gentle seduction, even more so because it really doesn't feel as if it's trying too hard yet still delivering depth and complexity. Fresh and lifted, fragrant and so juicy but with textured tannins that give both the weight, structure and density to the quite bright, tangy, vibrant fruit. Nicely composed, feels quite powerful yet restrained and finessed offering lots of immediate drinking appeal but with a serious backbone that suggests long ageing too. Elegant, fineseed, subtle confidence with such cool minerality that gives freshness all the way through. It's not the most dense, or fleshy, but so refined. A compelling wine. Possible upscore in bottle. 3% Cabernet Franc completes the blend. 3.70pH. A yield of 27hl/ha, the lowest ever. No Sirene de Giscours this year. 100% grand vin. Ageing 17 months, 50% new oak. 10-15% press wine. Tasted twice.

Alexandre Ma

93-95

par Alexandre Ma le 17/05/2023

Château Giscours 2022 reveals an astonishing sense of freshness from the very beginning, making it difficult to associate with a hot and dry vintage. In my opinion, three factors contribute to achieving such delightful freshness: first, the early harvest (young Merlot began on September 1st, finished on September 29th); second, lowering the canopy height to reduce evaporation, resulting in more vibrant fruitiness; and lastly, gentle maceration to limit potassium extraction from the skins, thus enhancing acidity while maintaining lower pH levels. Considering all these factors, I've experienced a prismatic, dazzling Margaux in the passionate vintage of 2022. However, a new question arises at the same time: can this ethereal style prove as age-worthy as the 1982 Château Giscours? Only time will answer.

Vinous

95-97

par Neal Martin le 17/05/2023

The 2022 Giscours was picked between 1 and 29 September, one of the earliest ever, with no SO2 added until blending and using bio-protection (yeasts) to protect the must. It has a delightful and sensual bouquet with lifted, violet and peony-scented blueberry and black cherry fruit. This is very well-defined and perhaps the purest I have encountered from barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with a disarming silky texture, harmonious and focused. It's mineral-driven with a poised and pixelated finish. Certainly, this represents one of the best wines from this Margaux estate in recent years, echoing their golden period of the 60s and early 70s. Tasted twice with consistent notes.

The Vintage Journal

95-96

par Andrew Caillard MW le 17/05/2023

Medium deep crimson. Very juicy and elemental with pure blackberry, blackcurrant, cacao aromas wity chinotto/ cola notes. Very fresh and pure with attractive juicy dark berry fruits, appealing chocolaty density and fresh mineral acidity. Finishes grainy firm. A very good vintage for Giscours. (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot 50% new oak)

matthewjukes.com

16,5

par Matthew Jukes le 15/05/2023

The Wine Independent

94-96

par Lisa Perrotti-Brown le 15/05/2023

A blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Giscours has a pH of 3.7 and 13.6% alcohol. It has a deep garnet-purple color and bursts with notes of baked black plums, warm cassis, and blackberry preserves, giving way to subtle suggestions of sassafras, roses, and Sichuan pepper. The delicately played medium-bodied palate is soft-spoken and refreshing, featured very fine, silt-like tannins and seamless freshness to frame the subtle red and black berry layers, finishing on a mineral note. If you love blockbusters, look elsewhere, this is all about grace. Note that no second wine (La Sirène de Giscours) was made in 2022 and the yield for Giscours was just 27 hl/ha.

Yvesbeck.wine

92-94

par Yves Beck le 10/05/2023

De bonne intensité, le Haut-Médoc de Giscours affiche de nombreuses facettes. Il allie savamment des nuances florales, épicées et fruitées complétées par une touche de graphite. Le vin est friand, crémeux et bien soutenu par des tannins aux grains fins. Il affiche de la finesse, une certaine profondeur et, surtout, il termine sur une salinité rafraîchissante et salivante qui dynamise la finale.

Bettane & Desseauve

94

par Bettane & Desseauve le 10/05/2023

Coloré et corsé, la propriété réussit un beau millésime à coup sûr. L'échantillon est un peu moins développé sur le plan aromatique que quelques pairs à ce stade mais il porte toutes les promesses d’un grand giscours.

Jeb DUNNUCK

94-96

par Jeb Dunnuck le 10/05/2023

Clearly one of the finest vintages from this château, the 2022 Château Giscours reveals a dense purple hue to go with beautiful Cabernet-driven aromatics of smoky blue fruits, iron, lead pencil, and spring flowers, as well as an almost marine-like character developing with time in the glass. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has silky, perfectly integrated tannins, a great mid-palate, and outstanding length. It's a serious, age-worthy, incredibly impressive wine in the making.

Vinous

95-97

par Antonio Galloni le 09/05/2023

The 2022 Giscours is a regal, sophisticated wine. Succulent red cherry, blood orange, spice, menthol and rose petal lend notable vibrancy and freshness throughout. Most surprisingly, the 2022 remains light on its feet, especially for a wine made from such low yields in a warm, dry year. Over the last few years Giscours has been one of the most improved properties in the Médoc. The 2022 is another step in that direction. Sublime. Drinking window : 2030-2052

The Wine Cellar Insider

95-97

par Jeff Leve le 05/05/2023

Violets, roses and lilies merge with its array of spices, black cherries, black plums and black raspberries on the nose. Silky, fresh, and focused on its tannins. The wine focuses on its structure, balance, and refinement. Supple, and creamy, the finish displays its richness, ripe, deep fruits and energy in every lingering sip. The wine is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, 13.6% ABV, pH 3.75. Harvesting took place September 1 to September 29. Yields were 27 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2027-2055.

Wine Advocate

94-96

par William Kelley le 02/05/2023

With the 2022 Giscours, this estate takes another step up, delivering a deep and characterful wine redolent of cherries, dark berries, violets, peony and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, broad shouldered and layered, it's deep and elegantly muscular, with impressive concentration, abundant but refined tannins and a structural authority reminiscent of the great Giscours vintages of the 1970s. Why is it so good? There are many reasons, but one is the high proportion of old vines—almost 60% of the blend deriving from vines that are over 50 years old—in a vintage that favored vines with deep, well-established root systems. Another is the increasing precision of harvesting at this address: Giscours's old vines are frequently co-planted with younger replacements that have filled any gaps in the ranks over the years; so, blocks are now picked in two or three passages instead of all at once, with the younger vines picked first. 94 - 96+

Jamessuckling.com

97-98

par James Suckling le 19/04/2023

This is a big move forward for Giscours. Full-bodied yet agile and fresh with tannins that are precise and integrated, with great beauty and length. Well-structured and vivid. Extremely fine yet defined tannins, and then it opens like a butterfly.