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Probably the finest Giscours made since the 1975, this black/purple-colored 2000 offers up terrific notes of camphor, creosote, blackberry, and cassis jam intermixed with notions of smoke and earth. Spicy, with low acidity, a big, rich, fleshy, full-bodied palate, outstanding texture, and a long, pure finish, it is, to reiterate, one of the best Giscours produced over the last 25 years. A sleeper of the vintage, it is still available for a realistic price.Robert Parker | 92 RPThis is very perfumed, with mushrooms, berries, and even strawberries. Full and round on the palate with soft tannins and lovely sweet finish. This is very long and balanced, but still needs time. Just starting to open up now, but give it a couple of years. Pull the cork in 2012.James Suckling | 92 JSThis is a big, powerful, firm wine, with a top layer of ripe, glamorous fruit flavors. Blackcurrant jelly fruits are shot through with ripe acidity and soft tannins. It should develop relatively fast, but then last well.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEA touch more advanced than the rest of the pack, with beautiful singed alder and juniper notes starting to lead the way while the core of lightly steeped black currant and fig fruit notes is simmering nicely with subtle charcoal and loam elements. Stylish bay-infused finish.—Blind 2000 Bordeaux retrospective (December 2015). Drink now through 2020. 27,500 cases made. Wine Spectator | 91 WSThis is a big, rich style of wine with a deep inner core of colour and fruit that is almost on the overripe side. The extraction seems a little more pushed, the tannins chunky and slightly chewy on the finish. That said, there’s still an innate freshness and gourmand nature to the wine. It will appeal to those that prefer a plusher style, less so those that have a more classic leaning. Drinking Window 2021 - 2028.Decanter | 91 DECThe 2000 Giscours is a vintage that I last tasted at the 20th-anniversary vertical in 2015. It has a lovely nose, not powerful, but pure and less rustic than some of the others tasted, offering red plum and cedar (as I have noted on previous bottles) and hints of fig jam and black olive. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and just a splash of balsamic infusing the red fruit. It lacks a little length and feels a bit compact on the finish, but there is ample freshness and tension. Decanting would benefit this millennial. Fine.Vinous Media | 90 VM

Tasted at the Château Giscours vertical, the 2002 Château Giscours is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot picked between October 1 and 15. There remains that almost Pomerol-like personality on the nose, quite perfumed and floral with sage and burnt toast scents tincturing the dark berry fruit. With continued aeration, there is a just a hint of rooibos. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite ferrous in the mouth and lightly spiced. It does not deliver the same precision as the 2001, although there is decent length here. It does not offer great length, but for the vintage, this should be considered a modest success. Tasted June 2015.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NMI like the mineral and blackberry aromas in this wine. Medium- to full-bodied, with a fresh acidity and tannin structure. This is solid and tight. Needs bottle age. Best after 2008. 23,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

This is full and powerful, with loads of fruit and a tropical undertone of berries and mango. Loads of tannins in this big wine, but still very fresh. This needs more time than the 2000. Give it five years. Pull the cork in 2015.James Suckling | 93 JSAromas of blackberry, black olives and licorice. Medium- to full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a fruity finish. Refined and nicely done. Best after 2010. 21,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSGiscours should be taken seriously by consumers as the quality has been ratcheted up over the last 7-8 years. The deep ruby/purple-hued 2003 offers complex, evolved aromatics of wood smoke, chocolate, charcoal, black cherry jam, and cassis. Lush, medium to full-bodied, and broad, with low acidity, copious glycerin, and a layered, persistent finish (it lasts for 40+ seconds), this beauty can be drunk now or cellared for 15 years.Robert Parker | 90 RPThe wine has held up well and is clearly one of the better examples from this hot, dry vintage. There’s some brick at the rim and the nose is a little flat with just a hint of dark pastille fruit and licorice . There’s a sweetness to the palate and the tannins are a little chunky and drying but there’s still obvious fruit and that innate freshness to balance the obvious warmth of the year. Drinking Window 2021 - 2025.Decanter | 90 DECIn normal vintages it’s velvety and rich, but Giscours seems to have gone over the top in 2003. The fruit is certainly there, generally fresh, but there is an underlying sense of over-ripeness, which needs to be better integrated: Hopefully this will happen as time goes on. For the moment, it’s a question mark.Wine Enthusiast | 90 WE

A smooth, delicious wine. The fruit flavors go right through this ripe, complex wine, leaving the tannins and wood as supporting acts. As with so many 2004s, the aftertaste is fresh, with great acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEA big, smoky, tapenade, plum, black currant, and spring flower-scented nose is followed by a medium to full-bodied, textured, layered wine with sweet tannin, low acidity, and impressive concentration as well as depth. This is a gorgeous, hedonistic yet complex Margaux to drink now and over the next 12-14 years.Robert Parker | 91 RPThis is very fresh and firm with really beautiful chocolate, walnut and berry character on the nose and palate. Full body with chewy yet polished tannins and a flavorful finish. Subtle and fine. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 91 JSA solid red, with blackberry, plum and light cedar aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a long, caressing aftertaste. All together here. Best after 2008. 25,000 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

This is a beautiful Giscours with tension and finesse. It’s full-bodied and shows plenty of berry and spice character, not to mention a long, silky-textured finish. It seduces you with each sip. Why wait?James Suckling | 95 JSThis chateau gets better and better. The wine has power, but it is harnessed by the intense fruits, the blackberry flavors, the density and the wood. With the power, though, comes elegance, resulting in a wine that is ready to develop over many years.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThis is a powerful wine with good ageing potential. The nose is ripe and creamy with plenty of dark fruit and spice complexity. The palate is rich, full and gourmand with Cabernet-cassis notes coming through. There’s a big tannic frame that shows the more masculine side of this Margaux. The finesse may be missing but there’s a lot of wine here. Drinking Window 2021 - 2040.Decanter | 94 DECThe 2005 Giscours captures all the natural radiance of the year in its stylish, racy personality. Sweet tannins wrap around a core of sweet red berry fruit, kirsch, rose petal, mint, spice and blood orange. Soft, curvy and sensual, Giscours is a winner in 2005. It doesn’t quite offer the grandeur of the very finest Left Bank 2005s, but it has plenty of that richness.Antonio Galloni | 93 AGDisplays blackberry, cherry and hints of sweet tobacco. Full-bodied, with soft, velvety tannins and a long, caressing finish. Very pretty and solid. This is structured and chewy. Needs time. Best after 2013. 20,830 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSTasted at the Château Giscours vertical, the 2005 Château Giscours is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot picked between September 22 and October 6. Conspicuously deep in color, both the aromatics and palate replicate the strong performance from earlier this year. The bouquet offers very fine intensity with blackberry and cedar, here a tinge of cassis that becomes accentuated with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, slightly grainy tannin. It is very well balanced and almost Saint Julien in style. It is clearly very focused with a sustained, mineral-rich finish that (as I said before) contains real energy. This is an excellent Giscours that will age nicely over the next 20-25 years. Tasted June 2015.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NM

A dense wine, powerful while also elegant. It shows all the best character of a grand Margaux, with fine tannins as well as dense structure. It will age well.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEA generous, well-rounded Margaux, expansive through the mid-palate but finishing a little short. Again, this shows that 2008 is a good - but not great - vintage, and really one where the full pleasure of drinking is to be taken now and over the next decade. The tannins are beautifully soft, and the cassis and tobacco flavours are still vibrant, floating upwards without being spiky. Drinking Window 2018 - 2030.Decanter | 91 DECTasted at the Château Giscours vertical, the 2008 Château Giscours is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot picked between September 30 and October 1. The bouquet is very well defined with ebullient red berry fruit mixed with orange peel and cedar aromas. There is something that distantly echoes a Côte de Beaune! Perhaps the purity on offer here? The palate is very well balanced with a keen line of acidity, very fine tannins and ample freshness. I loved this Giscours from barrel and it is now living up to my expectations. The terroir shines through on this wine - true Margaux. This is an excellent wine from winemaker Alexandre Van Beek. Tasted June 2015.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 91 RP-NMThe 2008 Giscours is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Compared to the 1998 and 1988, this has much more fruit and vitality on the nose: blackberry, bilberry, cedar and just a faint tang of marmalade. I like the delineation and vibrancy here. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, good fruit concentration and fine backbone. There is a little grit embedded in the texture, slightly chalky perhaps, but I like the energy conveyed by this Giscours and it feels minerally and long towards the finish. Very fine. (Tasted at the château and at BI Wine & Spirit’s annual vertical tasting).Vinous Media | 91 VM

Dark and structured, this is a firm wine. It has a smoky wood character, powerful tannins over intensely ripe fruit. Acidity and sweetness balance to give a dense wine, powered with richness and destined to age for many years.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WESilky and rich, this showcases black cherry with gourmet touches and swirls of black pepper and rosemary. There’s certainly an exotic edge here, with the natural drawing in of its Médoc tannins and highly enjoyable mouthwatering finish. It’s a good Giscours with clear personality, focus and balance. Decant if drinking it in the next five years. Drinking Window 2019 - 2038.Decanter | 94 DECThis powerful, yet well-structured Margaux has a lot of positive cabernet sauvignon character (cassis, ripe plum) for the appellation. Long, very clean positive finish. Drink or hold. (Horizontal Tasting, London, 2019).James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2009 Giscours has a generous and complex bouquet with well defined blackberry, cedar, mocha and light ferrous notes, more like a Saint-Julien than Margaux. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, fresh and vibrant with curry leaf and graphite. A dash of white pepper pops up towards the finish. This is a very fine Giscours to enjoy over the next 15 to 20 years. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits’ Ten Year On tasting..Vinous Media | 93 VMThis is alluring, with lots of incense, warm espresso and roasted mesquite notes leading the way for a sleek core of mouthwatering black currant and blackberry fruit. The long finish lets the mesquite edge linger, with well-embedded grip. Rock-solid. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2014 through 2029.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

This firm, dry wine is solidly rich and full in the mouth. With fine acidity and black currant fruit that show through the tannins, it is a wine with considerable potential.Wine Enthusiast | 94 WEThis is not as concentrated as some vintages, but is an enjoyable Giscours with plenty going for it over the medium term. Smoky black fruit aromas lead to good weight on the attack and through the mid-palate, suggesting careful and well-controlled extraction of ripe fruits. This takes its time to open and is relatively subdued, but has an enjoyable depth and spiciness. The acidity is juicy rather than tight. Drinking Window 2021 - 2040.Decanter | 92 DECA bright and fruity wine with a hot stone and currant character. Medium to full body, silky tannins and a fresh finish. Citrus undertone. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 92 JSThe 2012 Giscours offers up a profile of savory herbs, smoke, tobacco, licorice, dried rose petal, all backed up by beams of tannin that will ensure the 2012 will drink well for another decade plus. The Giscours is a bit wild and unrestrained, as it so often is, but the 2012 is very nicely balanced throughout, with lovely persistence and plenty of harmony.Vinous Media | 92 VMThis has a noticeable pepper and charcoal backdrop, but the core of black tea, crushed plum and warm currant confiture holds sway overall, while refined tannins carry the finish. Should fill out a bit more with cellaring. Best from 2017 through 2022. 23,330 cases made.Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Blueberries, tar and licorice on the nose. Full-bodied, solid and dense. Velvety tannins. Long finish. Down on this! Needs at least two or three years to soften.James Suckling | 95 JSStill dry and concentrated and with swathes of rich tannins, the wine is dark and dense. The undertow of ripe black fruit is impressive. It obviously has considerable aging potential, Drink this serious wine from 2025.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WEThe 2014 Giscours has a slightly muddled bouquet with tertiary/woodland scents infusing the broody black fruit, austere but attractive. With aeration it seems to find its groove and develop more clarity and detail. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, supple and focused. There is lovely balance and poise to this Giscours, with a tensile and precise finish that lingers long in the mouth. Excellent. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.Vinous Media | 93 VMThe 2014 Giscours has come on leaps and bounds since I tasted it twice in barrel. It is clearly more sophisticated and complex than the du Tertre on the nose. For a start, there is more fruit concentration with red cherries, raspberry and blackcurrant laced with cedar and graphite. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, pure red cherry and crushed strawberry fruit with a precise finish that the property never used to be able to offer. This is a lovely Margaux that should drink well for 20 years.Robert Parker Neal Martin | 92 RP-NMThis shows a caressing feel from the start, with alluring black tea and incense notes weaving around lightly macerated plum, blackberry and black currant fruit flavors. A floral accent gilds the finish. Pretty wine. Best from 2018 through 2028. 23,335 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSElegant, crunchy black fruits on the nose and florality and ripeness on the palate. Typical classy Giscours with seductive charm and elegant tannins. Drinking Window 2018 - 2030.Decanter | 90 DEC

This wine promises a great future ahead. It has all the elements in balance—rich tannins, intense black fruits and fragrant acidity—to suggest successful long-term aging.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WESuper aromas of blackberries, minerals, roses and spices. Full body, firm tannins and a long and beautiful finish. Fantastic center palate. Like a tight ball of silky thread. Seamless. Try drinking in 2020.James Suckling | 94 JSThe 2014 Gloria has a ripe and voluminous bouquet with plenty of blackberry, raspberry, pencil box and cedar aromas all well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, quite focused and poised with very well integrated new oak. There is plenty of freshness here, a 2014 Saint Julien full of energy with a persistent graphite finish that is very satisfying. Like its sibling, the Saint-Pierre, there is great potential here. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.Vinous Media | 91 VMA grippy style, with a pleasantly rugged edge to the copious brambly tannins that push the core of plum and blackberry reduction along. Lots of licorice snap and tobacco notes show on the finish, which offers persistent grip. Delivers more guts than polish, but will age solidly. Best from 2020 through 2030. 16,665 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WS