CHÂTEAU GISCOURS
2021 3ème Cru Classé Margaux
65 Cabernet Sauvignon, 32 Merlot, 3 Petit Verdot | 50% new oak | 13% alc Ripe, smooth and with good fruit quality and clarity, this is a classy wine with a long finish, and even though the oak is fairly strident, it manages to work nicely with the confident Cabernet. Giscours made a very accurate wine in 2021, and it reminds me of the elegance shown in some of the finest bygone vintages. Rating: 17 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2022)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
Very precise and focused with tight, sleek yet firm tannins, framing a fresh core of black fruit, gravel and tobacco. Crushed stones and tea leaves, too. Savory and medium-bodied. Driven and linear. Lots of cabernet character. Chewy tannins. Rather muscular. But polished texture. 65% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot and 3% petit verdot. Rating: 94-95 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2022)
Attractive bright plum in colour, this has a waves of flavour that offset the slightly bitter tannins that come in on the finish. Damson and black cherry fruits, liqourice root, rose stems and grilled cedar. 38hl/hyield. Drinking range: 2028 - 2042 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2022)
The 2021 Giscours is matured in 50% new oak from nine cooperages. It has a very well-defined bouquet of blackberry, briar, graphite and light tobacco aromas, plus a touch of lavender in the background. Very pretty. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins. Not a deep or powerful Giscours, but elegant and poised with a long tail on the finish. It doesn't try too hard and the result is a delicious, refined Margaux wine. A great success in a tricky year. Drinking range: 2026 - 2050 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2022)
The 2021 Giscours is fabulous. In fact, the 2021 is one of the best Giscours in recent memory. Silky and impeccable in its balance, the 2012 possesses magnificent elegance that brings out its pedigreed personality. Rose petal, lavender, spice, gravel and black cherry all come together, framed by silky tannins that wrap it all up. The 2021 is less aromatic than most recent vintages, but the depth here is considerable, as is the potential. Taste two times. Drinking range: 2028 - 2041 Rating: 94-96 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2022)
Attractive bright plum in colour, this has a waves of flavour that offset the slightly bitter tannins that come in on the finish. Damson and black cherry fruits, liqourice root, rose stems and grilled cedar. 38hl/hyield. Drinking range: 2028 - 2042 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2022)
The 2021 Giscours is immensely promising and shows just how far this important estate has come in the last few years. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of cassis, dark berries, cigar wrapper, violets, sweet forest floor and burning embers, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with terrific depth at the core, ripe tannins, lively acids and a long, penetrating finish. With wines like this, we're back to a level of quality that Giscours hasn't routinely attained since the 1970s! The blend is 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot; and even if by the standards of the last decade, that isn't a particularly elevated percentage of Cabernet, this is nonetheless a very Cabernet-driven wine in style. Tasted six times. Rating: 93-95 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (May 2022)
Château Giscours
Margaux Troisième cru 1855 Château Giscours has had many owners over the years since Pierre de Lhomme bought "Guyscoutz" in 1552 and laid out an estate and vineyards. The present château was built in 1847 by Count de Pescatore. Like many Bordelais estates, Giscours was in poor condition after World War II, but its fortunes were rescued by Nicolas Tari who bought the property in 1954 and set about restoring and enlarging Giscours. In 1995, Giscours' business activities were purchased by Eric Albada Jelgersma, the owner of near-by Château du Tertre. The 83ha of vineyard are 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The Grand Vin spends 15 to 18 months in wood (50% new). Château Giscours is home to the Bordeaux Giscours Cricket Club - the national champions!
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2023 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.