Following the 2000, the 2001 seems finer in style with more zest and energy. The colour is deep and the bouquet complex with floral and red and dark fruit notes as well as a hint of mint. The attack on the palate is ripe then the wine sails along on freshness, length and drive. The finish is serious and firm. Altogether it's a harmonious and agreeable wine. The 'hidden-gem' pick.

The 2001 Giscours has a far superior bouquet to the 2000, with black cherries, iris flower, crushed stone and light graphite scents. There is much better delineation and more vigour than the previous vintages. The palate is very well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, pliant in the mouth, with a judicious touch of white pepper towards the finish that lingers. Drinking beautifully.

Tasted at the Château Giscours vertical, the 2001 Château Giscours is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot picked between September 28 and October 12. Comparing it directly with the 2000, I discerned a little more precision on the nose, the fruit a little fresher with lifted mulberry, violet and lavender scents. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity, more tensile than the 2000, if not quite the same level of fruit concentration. It is not plump like the previous vintage, though there is fine animation here with a vein of spiciness surfacing towards the finish. This constitutes one of the finest Giscours in recent years, a Margaux with breeding and poise. In retrospect, this was the beginning of a turnaround in fortunes after an inconsistent period throughout the 1990s. Tasted June 2015.