Giscours castle

The castle Giscours is a wine field of the Médoc of 300 ha, located at Labarde Margaux in the Gironde. In AOC Margaux, it is classified third great wine in the official Classification of the wines of Bordeaux of 1855.

History of the field

The origins of the field would go back to the 14th century, but the recognition of the vineyard by sale contract goes back to 1552. With the French revolution the property, family estate of Saint-Simon is confiscated and becomes Bien national. It is into 1847 that the Count de Pescatore, large Parisian banker, deeply modifies the field by rebuilding the current castle to accommodate the Impératrice Eugenie. The attribution of the classification of 1855 assied the notoriety of Giscours. Many owners follow one another the 20th century, until the repurchase of Giscours by Nicolas Tari up in 1952, which will modernize the exploitation and width will give him.

The Giscours scandal

The field is resold in 1990 with the investor Eric Albada-Jelgersma, a Dutch businessman, and then begin a series of legal problems (dispute of the conditions of sale by the Tari up family) and financial. The “Giscours scandal” bursts in 1998 with the revelation of illegal practices of mixtures of tanks and years by the persons in charge of the property, in particular over the years 1995 and 1996.

To face this scandal, Giscours then take drastic and effective measures with a shift with the agreement of Eric Albada-Jelgersma. It obtains certification ISO 9002 in 2001 in pledge of guarantee, and finds the qualitative row which was it before his.

The soil

The vineyard is exploited on 80.5 ha in production on four type of serious grosses and averages distributed on four croups (hills) distinct. Encépagement is of Cabernet-sauvignon to 53%, Merlot to 42%, supplemented by 5% of frank Cabernet and Petit verdot. The density of the vines is very strong from 8300 to 10.000 pieds/ha, with an Middle Age for more than one quarter between them 40 years.

Wine

The breeding is done during 16 to 18 months out of barrels before the assembly.

Giscours produces a second red wine, the Siren of Giscours .

Years

The problems of Giscours describes previously cover a priori the years 1995, and 1996.

Great years: 2005

References

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