Alexander van Beek
General Director
Working at the estate since 1998
Met by Gerda at Château
Château Giscours
3ème Grand Cru Classé en 1855
Margaux
“Alexander van Beek” BY ALEXANDER VAN BEEK
Gerda : Tell us about you…
Alexander Van BEEK : It is hard to talk only about me because I am none without my team. I am like a captain who has to keep the boat moving and afloat (the Dutch are surrounded by water). I have to set everyone’s objectives.
G : What are the main challenges that you face personally, in the practice of your work?
AB : To live up to everyone’s expectations.
2021 HARVEST
Gerda : How did your harvest go?
Alexander van Beek : 2021 has certainly been a difficult year but we have done all we can to make the wine as best as possible. It is with this kind of vintage that the Great Terroir of Giscours expresses itself, thanks to the fantastic work of the team. We haven’t undergone frost and very few downy mildew attacks on leaves have occurred. It is a remarkable year for Cabernets Sauvignons thanks to the “Indian Summer”.
The immensity of the park and the Giscours forest, a reservoir of biodiversity in the heart of the Médoc.
THE BRAND GISCOURS TODAY AND TOMORROW
Gerda: What positioning (s) do you want for your brand (s)?
AB :We want to amplify the unique estate personality. Giscours has a real identity: firstly thanks to the Terroir, but also thanks to the human beings and the natural environment (lake, fields and our animals). It is a microcosm and a 400-hectare biodiversity reserve including 200 hectares of forest, which is a unique strength in the Medoc. Even though Giscours is a strong brand, it has to raise this profile even higher and to make it know all over the world.
G : How your wines stand out, and are unique?
AB : The power in mid-palate. It is a wine with a lot of energy due to its transverse freshness. Jérôme Poisson (general manager of Giscours and Caiarossa since January 2021), his team and our advisor Thomas Duclos bring today even more sparkle. It is a lot of work. The synergy is in our wine but also in our great team.
The wine should inspire customers because let us never forget that we produce wine to share it!
G : Which of your recent accomplishments would you like to share with your customers?
AB : The huge work made in the vineyard and during vinification. It is a project carried by the whole team. It is fabulous to progress with them. We have set up a system in which each worker in the vineyards is responsible for his own plot. It is them who know the best this piece of our outstanding Terroir. By giving them this responsibility, they feel involved and proud of their participation. Creating the “Togetherness Feeling”, we have a win/win situation.
G : What future project are you currently working on ?
AB : We have hired 2 persons for the marketing and the communication. We are going even further with our communication and it is very important to know how the wine is received by the consumer. Of course, we remain faithful to the Place de Bordeaux and to its split distribution, which is a great strength. Nevertheless, we need to push the brand.
We have a large event activity and we want all visitors to have a real-world experience at Giscours. We are down to earth people.
G : How far along are your property(ies) in the “green transition”?
AB : For years we haven’t used CMR products (carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic). Above all it was to protect health’s employees.
We are certified HVE (High Environmental Value) Level 3 and set up an agro-ecological policy.
On the exceptional plateau in front of the Château which is the heart of Giscours, we are planting trees and hedges.
THE BUSINESS
Gerda : What are your priorities in terms of business development?
AB : To forge an even stronger link with the consumer by respecting our distributors and the Place de Bordeaux. Today’s world is smaller, but we must continue to win new destinations and do everything to allow the symbiosis between Giscours, the consumer, the distributor and La Place. The latter does a lot of upstream work, which is the strength of Bordeaux!
G : What sales support materials are available to distributors to promote your wines?
AB :Support from us in the field, brochures, videos, sending of documentation…
G : Which vintages should the market be interested in? and why?
AB : 2011 : I like this wine, which is now 10 years old. It has youthfulness with wisdom and …. superb value for money ….. “A Dutch thought”… .
G : Do you plan for market or new releases in the near future?
AB : We are working on a tariff for our partners in the Place de Bordeaux: your customers can therefore ask you for ex-châteaux offers, and we will respond.
THE BOTTLE(S) OF YOUR HEART
Gerda : If you only had one bottle of heart?
AB : So far, it is Château Giscours 2011 !
THE TASTED WINES
Château Giscours 2018 : 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot.
Beautiful noise almost creamy and flamboyant. The fruit explodes with hints of eucalyptus. A generous and structured attack. The Giscours style is present with this energy on the finish.
Château Giscours 2019 : 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 35% Merlot.
Aromas are more restrained. For Jérôme Poisson, this is one of the most precise vintages ever made at Giscours. It is less opulent but the power is still there with an impressive finish. It is a very great wine!
Château Giscours 2020 : 56% Cabernet Sauvignon and 44% Merlot.
Giscours has certainly become even more precise. There are plots in complantation and they require a lot of work. These are Haute Couture harvests with several passages in the same plot. A lot of work has also been done with the vinification of the Merlots. We are looking for the brilliance of the red fruit.
The result is superb with a very racy Giscours, refined while keeping its DNA with a mid-palate of elegant power.
Gerda BEZIADE a une incroyable passion pour le vin, et possède une parfaite connaissance de Bordeaux acquise au sein de prestigieux négoces depuis 25 ans. Gerda rejoint Roland Coiffe & Associés afin de vous apporter avec “Inside La PLACE” davantage d’informations sur les propriétés que nous commercialisons.