Date night - Movie, BYOB Margaux and Steak Dinner
Married fifty-three years, we still have an occasional “date night”, movie and dinner. After seeing “Drummer Boy”, the movie, (Drummer Boy Movie Trailer) at Destin Commons AMC Theatres, we dined across the street at The Wine Bar Restaurant, connected to and affiliated with Wine World. This arrangement allows purchasing wines in the retail outlet and consuming them next door at the restaurant - BYOB. Buy/Bring-Your-Own-Bottle.
I selected a current release top rated Margaux from one of our favorite producers for a perfect accompaniment pairing with our Grilled Filet of Beef entrees with Potatoes Fondate and Asparagus.
Prior to dinner we shared the beet salad.
Château Giscours is a Third Growth (Troisième Grand Cru Classé) from the official Bordeaux Classifications of 1855 from the Margaux appellation in Bordeaux, France.
The park as also a living work of art and sculpture garden, designed in 1870 by renowned landscape architect Eugène Bühler, graduate of the Ecole Royale d’Horticulture in Versailles. Notable works of art include patinated bronze sculpture ‘Salto’ by Nic Jonk, ‘The Bather’ by Carla Rutgers-Hendriksen, and whimsical ‘Spectacles’ looking at the chateau, a tribute to the estate’s owner Eric Albada Jelgersma, a visionary businessman and art collector.
Château Giscours dates back to its founding by Pierre de Lhomme who from 1552 to 1571 began the planting the wild land with vines. From 1847 to 1875, proprietor Jean-Pierre Pescatore and his heirs improved the reputation of the estate by investing in the quality of its vines.
The historic Château Giscours wine estate is located 2km off the main D2 Route that runs from the City of Bordeaux along the Gironde River up through the Medoc wine region, 5 km south of the Village of Margaux. We stayed in the village of Margaux at charming Chambres de Margaux during our Bordeaux Wine Experience back in 2019.
The 250 acre Château Giscours, is one of the very few estates with vineyards planted in a single stretch, amidst 600 acres of meadows and forest, plus 600 acres of vineyards.
Château Giscours is a destination of its own - aside the vineyards, hidden behind the Chateau is a vast park planted with rare species and scattered with water features with an 800-metre walking path. The exceptional flora and fauna consists of more than twenty different varieties of trees from around the world: monkey puzzle trees, giant sequoias, sassafras, quercus nigras (‘black oaks’), Oregon pines, bald cypresses and more.
The park as also a living work of art and sculpture garden, designed in 1870 by renowned landscape architect Eugène Bühler, graduate of the Ecole Royale d’Horticulture in Versailles. Notable works of art include patinated bronze sculpture ‘Salto’ by Nic Jonk, ‘The Bather’ by Carla Rutgers-Hendriksen, and whimsical ‘Spectacles’ looking at the chateau, a tribute to the estate’s owner Eric Albada Jelgersma, a visionary businessman and art collector.
The estate vineyards span over 600 acres of vines in production within the Margaux appellation, plus acreage in the neighboring Haut-Médoc.
Château Giscours dates back to its founding by Pierre de Lhomme who from 1552 to 1571 began the planting the wild land with vines. From 1847 to 1875, proprietor Jean-Pierre Pescatore and his heirs improved the reputation of the estate by investing in the quality of its vines.
From 1875 to 1890, Edouard Cruse, a visionary winegrower modernized the entire estate and created the park around the chateau.
Nicolas Tari and his heirs acquired Giscours after the Second World War and reorganized the estate from 1952 to 1995.
Since 1995, Dutch businessman Eric Albada Jelgersma, wine lover and art collector, restructured the vineyard and renovated the winery buildings. The Albada Jelgersma children Dennis, Derk and Valérie take over the estate following the death of their father Eric Albada Jelgersma in 2018. They run the estate today with the help of general manager Alexander van Beek.
The well-arranged three hundred acres of vineyards possess exceptional terroir with the legendary deep garonne gravel hilltops with influence of the oceanic climate, giving Giscours’ wines structure and elegance.
The Château Giscours 2022 vintage received widespread critical acclaim when it was named Wine Spectator's #1 Wine of the Year for 2025.
Our CellarTracker records indicate we hold nearly a dozen vintages of Giscours dating back to the 1998 vintage. http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2014/10/cabs-bistro-byob-wine-dine-experience.html
We’ve enjoyed meeting Laure Bastard, Sales Director, or other Château Giscours representatives as regular attendees at the annual UGC Bordeaux' (Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB)) producers' annual North American tour to showcase their most recent vintage release. The UGC is an association of 133 grands crus producers from heralded Gironde estates. The UGCB tasting is one of the premiere events and highlights of my annual wine events. I’ve featured it in numerous blogposts from earlier tour events and two example events here … UGC Bordeaux 2013 Release Tour Chicago 2016, and UGC Bordeaux 2015 Release Tour unveils stellar vintage
Château Giscours Grand Cru Classé Margaux 2023
This is a traditional Left Bank Grape Blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc, It was aged in 50% new French oak.
This highly acclaimed release was rated 97 points by James Suckling: 96–98 points by Vinous (Antonio Galloni / Neal Martin): 94-96 by Robert Parker (The Wine Advocate): 95–96 points by Jeb Dunnuck and 95 points by Decanter, 93-95 by The Wine Independent.
Antonio Galloni of Vinous wrote, “The 2023 Giscours is the very best wine I have ever tasted here. Giscours has been knocking on the door of Bordeaux's elite for a few years now. Two thousand twenty-three is the year in which Giscours joins the region's big boys and girls. A towering, majestic Margaux, the 2023 dazzles from start to finish.”
Wine Advocate wrote, “The 2023 Giscours is one of the real successes of the vintage,”
Winemaker Notes “Château Giscours is a wine that reflects their teams’ expertise and in-depth knowledge of the terroir. It is a voluptuous, gourmet wine with the strong personality found in fine wines from the Margaux appellation. It is seductive on the palate thanks to its refined, silky tannins. It is a powerful, enchanting, hugely charming wine. It will age for years without gaining so much as a wrinkle.”
Blend: 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc. It was aged in 50% new oak. 70% grand vin production.
Blend: 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc. It was aged in 50% new oak. 70% grand vin production.
Deep garnet purple colored, medium to full bodied, full, round, bright and vibrant, structured yet balanced and elegant, juicy blackberry and black currant with notes of red fruits, notes of cassis, herbs, hints of mocha chocolate, graphite and undergrowth, violets and licorice, with soft acidity and polished silky tannins.with a long, broad finish.
RM 95 points.
Winemaker Notes “Château Giscours is a wine that reflects their teams’ expertise and in-depth knowledge of the terroir. It is a voluptuous, gourmet wine with the strong personality found in fine wines from the Margaux appellation. It is seductive on the palate thanks to its refined, silky tannins. It is a powerful, enchanting, hugely charming wine. It will age for years without gaining so much as a wrinkle.”
Blend: 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc
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