Bordeaux 2015: Giscours nails it?

After a deluge of releases this morning there was no let up this afternoon as Giscours and Duhart Milon emerged – with Giscours apparently hitting the nail on the head.

Margaux third growth Giscours was rated 94-96 by Neal Martin, which means it has the best Wine Advocate score of the last 10 years (and Martin also said it was the best since 1961), while James Suckling referred to it as the estate’s best release since the 1970s.

Out at €36 a bottle ex-négociant it is 30% more expensive than the 2014 was upon release. As Corney & Barrow noted in an offer though (more on that below), “the price is well under that of the 2005, 2009 and 2010 even if a little more of an increase on the 2014 price than we might like.

“This, though is where the detail is worth a look: the increase actually reflects the fact that they were very well priced last year and they should not be punished for that.”

Berry Bros & Rudd’s fine wine buying director, Max Lalondrelle, said the merchant is on course to sell over 7,000 bottles so far, so around 600 cases in an afternoon.

Corney and Barrow makes the case for Duhart Milon saying that while it is certainly no longer “cheap” it is “significantly better wine” these days.

It adds the 2015 looks “fairly priced” but at €48 a bottle ex-négoce (around £500 a case) it’s perhaps no surprise that of the two, buyers appear to have opted for the better scored and cheaper Giscours.

There have been positive noises for some of the wines released so far this campaign, arguably outweighing the bad by quite some distance in fact.

Some wines have been classed as relative ‘bargains’ – generally wines below £300 a case – while some of the bigger names have been judged more or less ‘fair’ even if, perhaps, if one wanted to shop around there might be something with a similar score (or better) that’s currently cheaper.

With Giscours, however, and to a point Duhart, a chord has apparently been struck. It’s notable that Corney & Barrow for example has sent out an offer for both of these wines, declaring: “Fair prices for good wines”.

With the number of wines released this morning, anything out this afternoon ran the risk of being kicked to the curb if it didn’t seem well judged and, clearly, this has not been the case.

Duhart may not be flying but Giscours shows that it doesn’t have to be all doom and damnation.