A lovely, dense deep ruby-purple colour. An elegant nose showing layers of intermingling spice and fruit aromas, such as blackberries, blackcurrants and a suggestion of roses. A supple entry on the palate, followed by finesse and lingering tannins. This delicate and silky wine with its coated tannins, charm and roundness, has excellent length, rounded off by a finish packed with sweetness. This attractive, seductive wine will get even better over the years and will reach its peak in fifteen years.
What the critics say...
Robert Parker: 90 points(01/04/2005)
This sexy, broad effort exhibits medium to full body, sweet tannin, an inky ruby color, and notes of smoked herbs intermixed with charcoal, black cherries, and a hint of tobacco. The wine is round, seductive, yet surprisingly concentrated and luscious. Give it 1-2 years of cellaring as the tannins are slightly more noticeable than in the 2003, and drink it over the following 12-15 years.
Pairing: Aged Cheese, Game Animals, Grilled Red Meats, Legume, Roasts, Stews.
The estate is situated 20 kilometres north-west of Bordeaux. All of its vine plots are located within the Margaux appellation boundaries. The Château GISCOURS vineyard covers four outstanding terroirs, made up of coarse and medium coarse gravel over steep, well-drained slopes. This... abundance of pebbles (40 to 50 %), creating poor, permeable conditions in the soil, contributes hugely to the high quality of the wines. This gravel is mixed in the subsoil with coarse sand, which helps the vine to develop a deep rooting system. With the the temperate Médoc climate, conditions are thus perfect for the creation of a great wine. Stretching over more than 85 hectares (210 acres), of which 80.5 are in production, and set among 300 hectares (740 acres) of grassland and forest, the vineyard is split into two separate blocks and 43 perfectly distinct plots, allowing an ideal, individualised matching of grape variety with terroir type. The mix of grape varieties is very much that found at the great estates of the Médoc, with a high proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon (53 %). Merlot makes up 42 % of the vineyard, while the remaining 5% is composed of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The vines are planted at high density (from 8,300 to 10,000 plants per hectare) which is another factor favour the production of quality wine. Each plant is in competition with its close neighbours and as a result produces a small number of grapes. This high density is preserved through a regular phasing in of new plants when old ones die. The quality of the wine is proportional to the age of the vines. One quarter of Château GISCOURS’ plots are over 40 years old.
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