Chateau Giscours

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Château Giscours is winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus (Third Growths) in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855.

[edit] History

In 1976, Pierre Tari of Chateau Giscour was one of 11 judges to take part in the Judgment of Paris wine tasting.

In 1998 the château was found guilty of wine fraud. It was blending inferior wine and falsely representing and selling it as superior wine, deceptively blending different vintages together, using excessive amounts of sugar in fermentation, and using wood chips in place of barrel aging. The managing-director confessed his guilt and was fired and the estate was fined. No wine taster or expert ever reported detecting the inferior wine in the high priced bottles. The crimes were uncovered only as a result of a disgruntled employee who became a whistleblower.

More recently, this wine has returned to producing wines that take full advantage of its terroir.

[edit] Vineyard

The vineyards consist of 78 hectares of gravel and pebbles with a subsoil of sand and gravel. They are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (55%), Merlot (40%), and five percent divided between Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.