Tasted at the Chateau Giscours vertical, the 1995 Chateau Giscours is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 60% Merlot picked between September 25 and October 7. It has a light, herbaceous nose with sage and rosemary scents, though without the retinue of fruit to back it up. The palate is medium-bodied with dry tannin, simple and conservative with a Merlot-dominated finish that feels sapped of energy. The fundamental problem for this and Giscours born this decade is the over-emphasis on Merlot, something that has been rectified in recent vintages. I would consume bottles in the new future. Tasted June 2015.

A supple, picnic-style claret with considerable appeal but no depth or intensity to its flavors, this soft, fully mature wine exhibits plum/ruby color and has an herbaceous, cedary nose of sweet cherries and currants. The wine is medium-bodied, spicy, pleasant, but undistinguished. Drink it over the next 5-7 years. Last tasted, 3/02.