Wine Spectator #1 Wine of the Year: 2022 Giscours

One of the most deserving properties in Bordeaux just received Wine Spectator’s #1 Wine of the Year: the 2022 Giscours. A long-time K&L favorite, the team there has always produced one of the most classic and rewarding wines of Margaux, but recent vintages have taken it to another level. The 2022 is the perfect example of that ideal balance you find at this estate; from a rich vintage, they were able to craft a wine that’s full of Margaux character, retains a modest 13.5% abv, and delivers a classically proportioned wine that shows both the property’s terroir and the transparency of traditional Bordeaux.

Its ability to occupy both worlds is one of Giscours’ many charms. It is also a wine that is remarkably well priced for what it delivers on the scale of classified growths. And while it’s not the flashiest wine (perhaps all the better for it), it is one of those bottles that always leaves us marveling when tasting, inspiring that “why don’t we buy more Giscours?!” energy. With this new Wine of the Year acclaim, that may soon be a thing of the past.

I can imagine the 2022 Giscours becoming an all-time best seller for us, and I think the wine deserves all the acclaim it’s getting now and will continue to receive in the future. Congratulations to Alexander van Beek and the remarkable team at Giscours on their landmark 2022.

— Ryan Moses, K&L Bordeaux Buyer

98 points James Suckling: "Stunning aromas of blackcurrants, dark mushrooms and black cherries with forest-floor notes. Full body that fills your mouth with fine, caressing tannins and dark, flavorful fruit. The tannins are very intense and structural, spreading across the palate in layers and giving intensity and energy. Plenty of energy and verve here. This has gravity, too." (01/2025)

97 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The deeply colored and glass-staining 2022 Château Giscours is packed with cassis, black cherries, violets, and graphite-like aromatics. Medium to full-bodied, its concentrated and intense, with beautifully ripe tannins, a pure, graceful mouthfeel, and a long, structured finish. There's serious depth here, and while it already shows remarkable balance, I suspect it will shut down for a period before emerging as a classic Margaux a decade or so after the vintage. This beauty is going to be long-lived, and you can expect at least 30-40 years of prime drinking. Based on 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and equal parts Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, its a serious, age-worthy Giscours. Tasted multiple times with consistent results. 97+" (02/2025)

96 points Decanter: "Richly aromatic on the nose - scents of fresh flowers, bramble fruit and cherry stones. Smooth and succulent, a gorgeous texture - silky and glossy with crunchy and juicy fruit and fine but powdery tannins that fill the mouth. It's still quite upfront, not totally settled, but utterly charming in its presentation of flavours and textures. Clean and crystalline, feels sophisticated and complex expanding vertically rather than being too streamlined and straight. Plump, ripe, round and well worked. Feels very precise and purposeful and I love the minty lift on the finish that just makes you want to take another sip. It has taken the best from the vintage and delivered a really engaging wine. (GH)" (01/2025)

96 points Wine Advocate: "The 2022 Giscours has realized all the potential it showed en primeur, wafting from the glass with a deep bouquet of sweet berries, mint, rose petals and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, it's textural and enveloping, built around lively acids and sweet powdery tannins, concluding with a long, resonant finish. As I pondered two years ago, why is the 2022 so good? There are many reasons, but one is the high proportion of old vinesalmost 60% of the blend derives from vines that are over 50 years oldin a vintage that favored vines with deep, well-established root systems. Another is the increasing precision of harvesting at this address: Giscours's old vines are frequently co-planted with younger replacements that have filled any gaps in the ranks over the years; so, blocks are now picked in two or three passages instead of all at once, with the younger vines picked first. The team also adapted hedging practices to limit hydric stress, which helps to explain the sweetness of the tannins. (WK)" (03/2025)

96 points The Wine Independent: "The 2022 from Alexander van Beek and the team at Giscours is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 3% each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. I find a real sense of fragrant harmony but also bright energy here, with creamed red cherry and red plum fruits on the nose, with a red rose, peony and vanilla overlay, laced with darker veins of blackcurrant, blackberry and toast. The palate shows a greater sense of cohesion and integration than many, with deliciously dark fruits, wrapped and polished, with hints of black olive, charcoal and toast notes, all set in a seamless and highly polished palate, yet underpinned with brilliant structure. A super Giscours here, from a property which has really moved up a notch in recent vintages. One for the cellar, preferably mine. Tasted twice. The alcohol on the label is a mere 13.5%, modest for Margaux in this vintage. (CK)" (05/2025)

96 points Vinous: "The 2022 Giscours is a brilliant wine. It has a cornucopia of aromas on the nose that has the audacity to shade both the 2019 and 2020: blackberry, blueberry, crushed stone, violet and peony, all blossoming with aeration. The palate is supremely well balanced with enormous substance and grip, powerful and maybe not quite as satin-like in texture as it showed in barrel. Very mineral-driven and quite structured, this 2022 demands long-term cellaring. (NM)" (04/2025)

95 points Wine Spectator: "Warmed cassis and plum notes form the core, while lilting lilac, violet and iris accents stream throughout. Offers a flash of black tea on the finish, along with a beguiling, cashmerelike mouthfeel. Judicious toast lets it all play out beautifully. A pitch-perfect example of the vintage profile. (JM) *Wine Spectator #1 Wine of the Year, 2025*" (03/2025)

95 points Jane Anson: "Well judged and executed, with the vintage character coming through with the rich plum, cassis and fresh fig fruits, alongside black pepper and clove spices, but overall the feel is savoury, with austere tannins that are clearly revving up and have plenty of character. Impressive lift also, with juice running right through the palate, giving breath to the concentrated muscular tannic frame. Austerity also at this point, relatively rare and welcome in 2022, and emphasising a floral and smoky curl on the finish. 50% new oak. Entire harvest in the Grand Vin for the first time ever at Giscours (although I assume there must have been some of the production that was not bottled under the label). Axel Marchal consultant, Alexander Van Beek director." (04/2023)