Chateau Giscours Tour December 2011

Chateau Giscours is a winery in the Margaux appellation, in the commune of Labarde of the Bordeaux region of France.  The estate compromises over nearly 400 hectares, of which 80 is under wine,  and is spread out over Margaux and Haut Medoc appellations.  

Oak barrel aging

The composition of grape varieties is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 42% Merlot and the remainder Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.The grapes are fermented in temperature-controlled tanks and the wine is then aged in small oak barrels (30-40% new) for 18 months. Like many Chateau's the oak barrels are sourced from around 6 different cooper.  This  enhance the complexity of the resulting wine but also ensures that any unique characteristics or problems with the barrel are minimised. After all its about the grape not the barrel!

Tanks outside - electricity bill!

Strangely, many of the tanks were outside, probably a result of an increase in production without suitable investment. I was reliably informed the lack of infrastructure was due to an ongoing disagreement between the Chateau owners. Plans were in place to expand adjacent  building and enclose the tanks in 2012. I couldn't help but think of the substantial cost of electricity in the meantime. The tanks inside were also curiously enclosed in cement - something i have not seen at any other chateau. Our host claimed the cement structure gave them an advantage in control temperate - a passing comment every winery, regardless of the tank builds, claim. 

The wine

Ch Giscours label

Giscours produces richly aromatic wines that are powerful on the palate, displaying ripe, black fruit and cassis fruit with hints of cedar and new oak. You will find notes of licorice, black truffles,  flowers and soil undertones. 

These are the types of wines i love and the reason i prefer the right bank. The price per bottle ranges between £30 and £100, depending on the vintage; and the most notable vintages are unsurprisingly 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2010. 

I would thoroughly recommend a visit to the Chateau. It's very accessible (ie you can actually get a tour and tasting) - unlikely many other Chateau's in the area and you can buy wine directly from the chateau. Its very interesting seeing a winery that is somewhere between an industrial large scale production, such as Chateau Beaumont and the first growth Chateau Latour.

Château Giscours is also the home ground to the current National Cricket Champions, the Bordeaux Giscours Cricket Club. 

Chateau Latour Price v Robert Parker Score

Is there a correlation between Robert Parker scores and the price of Chateau Latour?  


The price/quality relationship refers to the perception by consumers that a relatively high price is a sign of better quality. This relationship is very hard to test when comparing different products - its more simple when the product is very similar.


Table 1 Chateau Latour 

Vintage	Robert Parker	Dec-11	May-11
2008	95	€                              6,707.00	€                              9,378.00
2007	92	€                              4,983.00	€                              5,032.00
2006	95	€                              5,749.00	€                              6,519.00
2005	96	€                              8,983.00	€                           10,293.00
2004	95	€                              4,671.00	€                              5,261.00
2003	100	€                              9,582.00	€                           11,314.00
2002	96	€                              5,031.00	€                              5,547.00
2001	95	€                              4,779.00	€                              5,375.00
2000	98	€                           10,798.00	€                           13,010.00
1999	94	€                              4,731.00	€                              5,255.00
1998	90	€                              4,271.00	€                              4,518.00
1997	89	€                              4,492.00	€                              4,552.00
1996	99	€                              7,396.00	€                              8,881.00
1995	96	€                              5,031.00	€                              5,946.00
Correlation (Score to Price)		0.71	0.73

Correlation of 0.71-0.73 indicates that the quality and price of Chateau Latour is strongly correlated. When buying vintages with a higher Robert Parker score you should expect to pay more.From an investment perspective, it means RP scores provide an excellent research tool when determining under-priced vintages.


Take a look at each vintage with an RP score of 95, that is;  2008, 2006, 2004 and 2001. There is a 2,000 euro difference between 2008 and two other vintages, namely 2004 and 2001. In addition, both 04 and 01 are priced similarly to lower scored vintages, namely 1997, 1998, 2007 and 1999. This suggests 2004 and 2001 are under-priced and are wine investment buys.


Suggested buys - 20004, 2003 and 2001.

Chateau Latour Historical Price Chart

Chatour Latour Price Action

Chart 1. Price in Euro, Up to May 2011 (at which point a major price reduction occurred).

Chart 2. Price in Euro, Up to December 2011 (Showing price correction)

Vintage	Robert Parker
2010	(98-100)
2009	(98-100)
2008	95+
2007	92+
2006	95
2005	96
2004	95
2003	100
2002	96
2001	95
2000	98
1999	94
1998	90
1997	89
1996	99
1995	96

Table 1, Robert Parker Scores (correct at Jan 2012). Correlation Price and quality

Key points 

• 2000 vintage (RP score 98) is the most expensive Latour.
• 1996 vintage (RP score of 99) is 4k cheaper than 2000
• 2003 (RP Score 100)  is 1500 cheaper than 2000
• 2003 has ACTUALLY been scored a 100, '09 and '10 are (98-100) - if either of these years scores are downgraded, 2003 WILL appear more attractive.
• 2009 and 2010 both potential 100 RP scores are both trading over 13,500.
• All Latours above 8k experienced a significant price correction from May 2011 onwards.

This suggest '96 and '03 are strong buy's 

Happy investing.

More information:

Wine investment ideas

Chateau Latour Robert Parker Score

Berry Bros & Rudd