Château Giscours

Château Giscours is a historic wine estate in Labarde, within the Margaux appellation of Bordeaux, France. Its principal wine was included among the fourteen Troisièmes Crus, or Third Growths, in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. The estate is associated with the production of structured red Bordeaux wines based primarily on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, supported by smaller plantings of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The property has a long documented history. A deed concerning the sale of the Giscours domain dates to 1330 and mentions a fortified keep. Vineyard activity is recorded by 1552, when Seigneur de la Bastide sold the estate to Pierre de l'Horme. Before the French Revolution, Giscours belonged to the Saint-Simon family. The property was later confiscated from Claude-Anne de Rouvroy de Saint Simon and purchased in 1793 by John Gray and Jonathan Davis, two Americans from Boston. Further changes of ownership followed during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Giscours entered an important period of development after its acquisition in 1845 by the banker Count de Pescatore. In 1847, Pescatore appointed Pierre Skawinski to manage the estate. Skawinski became a significant Médoc agriculturalist, overseeing Giscours for approximately five decades and contributing to the estate's reputation among the leading classified growths. He is also associated with the development of a plough bearing his name and with early efforts to combat mildew in the vineyards. His management continued through the subsequent ownership of the Cruse family, which is described as one of the estate's most successful periods. The property was sold by the Cruse family in 1913, after which Giscours experienced a more difficult phase. Nicolas Tari acquired the estate in 1954. A former large-scale winemaker in Algeria, Tari restored and expanded the property and helped make Giscours one of the Médoc's most productive estates. His son Pierre Tari later became active in Bordeaux's wine trade and served as president of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux. In 1976, Pierre Tari was one of eleven judges in the Judgment of Paris wine competition. In 1995, the wine-growing business activities of Château Giscours were acquired by Eric Albada Jelgersma. The estate comprises nearly 400 hectares in total, including approximately 80 hectares of planted vineyards divided among several plots. The main vineyard plantings are reported as approximately 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot, with the balance made up of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The estate's principal wine is Château Giscours, while La Sirène de Giscours serves as its second wine. A separate vineyard parcel outside the Margaux boundary is bottled as Le Haut-Médoc de Giscours. The estate also produces or manages wines associated with Château Dutheil and Château Houringe, both Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois properties. Beyond wine production, the property is also associated with the Bordeaux Giscours Cricket Club, which uses Château Giscours as its home ground and competes in the French national league structure. Giscours therefore combines the functions of classified Bordeaux estate, wine brand, agricultural property, and local sporting venue.

The recorded history of Château Giscours reaches back to the medieval period. A deed dated 1330 confirms the sale of the domain and refers to a fortified keep on the property. Records of vineyard ownership and cultivation appear by 1552, when Seigneur de la Bastide sold the estate to Pierre de l'Horme. Before the French Revolution, Giscours was held by the Saint-Simon family. It was subsequently confiscated from Claude-Anne de Rouvroy de Saint Simon and sold in 1793 to John Gray and Jonathan Davis, two American purchasers from Boston. Ownership changed several times in the nineteenth century. A decisive phase began in 1845, when banker Count de Pescatore purchased Giscours. Two years later he appointed Pierre Skawinski to administer the estate. Skawinski became one of the notable agricultural figures of nineteenth-century Médoc. He managed Giscours for about fifty years, including through the later ownership of the Cruse family. His work helped strengthen the estate's standing and productivity. He is also linked to a plough design named after him and to practical efforts to address mildew, an important vineyard disease in Bordeaux. The Cruse period is described as one of Giscours' most successful eras, but the family sold the property in 1913. The decades that followed were considerably more difficult. In 1954, Nicolas Tari bought Giscours. Tari had previously been a major-scale winemaker in Algeria and undertook a program of restoration and expansion at the Bordeaux estate. Under his direction, Giscours became one of the Médoc's most productive properties. Pierre Tari, associated with the next generation of the estate's management, served as president of the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux. In 1976 he was selected as one of eleven judges for the Judgment of Paris wine competition, an event that compared leading French and Californian wines. In 1995, Eric Albada Jelgersma acquired the estate's wine-growing business activities. Giscours' property extends over nearly 400 hectares, with approximately 80 hectares planted to vines in several parcels. The vineyard is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with smaller proportions of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Its production includes the classified grand vin Château Giscours, the second wine La Sirène de Giscours, and Le Haut-Médoc de Giscours from a roughly 40-hectare parcel located outside the Margaux appellation boundary. The estate is also connected with Château Dutheil and Château Houringe, Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois properties; Château Dutheil is vinified at Giscours, while Château Houringe has been operated under lease since 1982. The estate's principal wine was classified as a Troisième Cru in the 1855 Bordeaux classification, placing Château Giscours within the established hierarchy of Médoc classified growths. In addition to its viticultural role, the property serves as the home ground of Bordeaux Giscours Cricket Club, which participates in the Aquitaine Division of the French National League. This sporting association adds a local community dimension to the estate's identity alongside its role as a major Bordeaux wine producer.

1. 1995Eric Albada Jelgersma acquires the wine-growing activities

   Eric Albada Jelgersma acquired Château Giscours' wine-growing business activities.

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2. 1982Château Houringe operated under lease

   The estate's reference history records Château Houringe as having been operated under lease from this year.

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3. 1976Pierre Tari serves as a Judgment of Paris judge

   Pierre Tari was selected as one of eleven judges for the Judgment of Paris wine competition.

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4. 1954Nicolas Tari purchases and restores the estate

   Nicolas Tari acquired Giscours and restored and enlarged the property, helping it become one of the Médoc's most productive estates.

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5. 1913Sale by the Cruse family

   The Cruse family sold Giscours after a period described as one of the estate's most successful eras.

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6. 1855Classified as a Third Growth

   Château Giscours was included among the fourteen Troisièmes Crus in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

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7. 1847Pierre Skawinski appointed estate manager

   Pierre Skawinski began managing Giscours and later helped advance its agricultural reputation and vineyard productivity.

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8. 1845Count de Pescatore acquires Giscours

   The banker Count de Pescatore purchased the estate, beginning a major period of investment and development.

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9. 1793Purchase by American owners

   After confiscation from the Saint-Simon family during the revolutionary period, the property was purchased by John Gray and Jonathan Davis of Boston.

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10. 1552Early recorded vineyard ownership

    A record describes Seigneur de la Bastide selling the estate to Pierre de l'Horme, providing an early documented connection between Giscours and vineyard land.

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11. First documented reference to the Giscours domain

    A deed confirming a sale of the domain mentions a fortified keep at Giscours.

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Premium and luxury Bordeaux wine estate associated with the Margaux appellation and the 1855 Third Growth classification.

• Château GiscoursClassified-growth red Bordeaux wine

  The estate's grand vin and principal brand, produced in the Margaux appellation. It is associated with the 1855 classification's Third Growth category and is made from a vineyard dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with smaller plantings of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The estate reference describes annual production at approximately 25,000 cases, although production can vary by vintage.

• La Sirène de GiscoursSecond-label red Bordeaux wine

  The second wine of Château Giscours. It provides a distinct expression from the estate's vineyard holdings while remaining connected to the Giscours property and Margaux production. The reference material describes typical annual production at approximately 10,000 cases.

• Le Haut-Médoc de GiscoursHaut-Médoc red wine

  A wine made from approximately 40 hectares of vines adjacent to the main Giscours property but outside the Margaux appellation boundary. Its appellation identity distinguishes it from the estate's classified Margaux grand vin while retaining an association with the Giscours name.

• Château DutheilHaut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois wine

  A Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois property associated with the Giscours operation. The estate reference states that Château Dutheil is vinified at Giscours, linking its production to the winery's facilities and technical organization.

• Château HouringeHaut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois wine1982

  A Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois property connected with Château Giscours. According to the estate's historical reference, Château Houringe has been operated under lease since 1982.

• 1995Transfer of the wine-growing business activitiesM&A

  Château Giscours underwent another ownership transition after earlier periods under the Saint-Simon, Pescatore, Cruse, and Tari families.

  What changed. Eric Albada Jelgersma acquired the estate's wine-growing business activities.

  Aftermath. The acquisition established Albada Jelgersma as the owner associated with the modern operating phase described in the reference material.

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• 1954Restoration and expansion under Nicolas TariStrategy

  Following a difficult period after the 1913 sale by the Cruse family, Nicolas Tari acquired the estate and faced the task of rebuilding its agricultural and commercial position.

  What changed. Tari restored and enlarged the property and developed it into one of the Médoc's most productive estates.

  Aftermath. The changes helped re-establish Giscours as a significant Bordeaux wine estate.

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• 1995Eric Albada Jelgersma acquires Château Giscours wine-growing activities

  The wine-growing business activities of Château Giscours were acquired by Eric Albada Jelgersma, marking a new ownership phase for the estate.

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1. Château Giscours
2. Château Giscours official website