Talking of Giscours, my note on my Eureka wine, the 1979

[Musigny 151]

It has been a couple of years since I last pulled a bottle from my dwindling supply. There are only four left from the original three cases purchased in 1985 after a trip to Bordeaux and my first taste of the wine

Up to then I liked wine, particularly Bordeaux, and went deep with the 1982 Bordeaux vintage. Later when I was in England visiting family, I chanced on an article n a newspaper about a course in Bordeaux taught by a Master of Wine at Chateau Loudenne. I returned to the States and after some intense negotiations with she who must be obeyed, we settled on a week hiking in Cornwall and a week at Loudenne. The hiking part of the trip was mixed. We fell afoul of stinging nettles and continuous rain but the final straw was when we were overtaken by a one legged nun. (Don’t you just hate it when that happens!)

So off to Loudenne, and blue skies, and my introduction to a truly great chef, Josette. We ate and drank well, but it was on the third day we did the 1979 tasting. The fifth wine was Giscours and I had one of those transcendent moments. Time stopped and I just sat there with a silly smile inhaling the aromas that had just layered themselves into waves of complex scents. Although I was to drink several first growths that week,it was the Giscours that I remembered.

It is now forty two years old. The cork comes out easily. Even as I am decanting I am getting reacquainted with an old friend. Older certainly, but the aromas are intense and the color is still dark with almost no browning.

There is however a little funkiness but still plenty of fruit, cassis wild strawberry, anise and leather. The bottle is not corked, and as it opens, there is now an underlay of earth and mushroom. The funk finally goes after an hour, and the wine happily unfurls, and now that the strange stuff has gone, we are left with a perfect archetypal claret, well short of the edge. I suspect this has at least ten years before it begins to keel over. But for now, it is still a great wine that speaks to me in a way that only a handful of wines have ever done.

[Winona Chief]

Great story and yes, quite a wine. Mostly flew under the radar. Such an elegant and interesting wine.

Chris Bublitz

[Ianjaig]

but the final straw was when we were overtaken by a one legged nun. (Don’t you just hate it when that happens!)

I love Giscours and have just tucked away 5 x of the 14s which Ive been impressed by.

[Nicklasss]

What a nice story and nice description for a 42 years old Giscours.

I hope modern Giscours will age a bit the same or better, who knows.

And you remind me how I miss tasting some nice Bordeaux wines with BWEers.

[jal]

Great story.

The nun was probably drinking something too, though I doubt it's Giscours or even Bordeaux. You should have asked but I imagine she was out of earshot quickly.

[robert goulet]

I popped a '79 Giscours about 6 months back.... unfortunately, it wasnt a sound bottle and was undrinkable....cork fell right into the bottle when trying to apply the cork screw...good to hear it's a solid Margaux.