France

Ch. Kirwan

Chateau Kirwan 3eme Cru Classe Margaux

Bordeaux

Margaux

The harvest started on September 7, so almost as early as in 2022, but this was a less extreme year overall, and is showing a crunchy snap to the primary fruit. Mouthwatering and balanced, with delicious blueberry and blackberry character, with a subtle grilled cedar smoke. Still in the barrel, to be bottled in 2025. 53hl/h yield also, 50% oak for ageing.

Inside Bordeaux

The 2022 Kirwan is deep garnet-purple in color. Notes of plum preserves, cherry compote, and blackcurrant cordial spill from the glass, followed by nuances of rose oil, cedar chest, and dusty soil. The medium to full-bodied palate is rich and ripe, with a lively backbone and plush tannins, finishing with a skip in its step.

by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

Finessed, with a focus on floral peony aromatics, with raspberry and redcurrant fruits, along with a gentle campfire toast. Retasting the 2021s is always interesting, and there is charm here, but the acidity is more evident than in other vintages. Well handled, deft. 50% new oak for ageing, 33hl/h yield after frost. Eric Boissenot consultant, Philippe Delfaut director.

Another exceptional vintage after a run of them, with cloves on the opening beats reflecting a dry year where the concentration is clear. A brilliant mix of 2018 and 2019, juicy with lift through the palate, elivering great punch of black pepper and spiced plum, blackberry puree, campfire smoke and fresh mint leaf on the finish. Still young and coiled but this is impressive. 50% new oak for ageing, 33hl/h yield. Eric Boissenot consultant, Philippe Delfaut director.

Delivers power, balance, and juice, stretches out through the palate, less exuberant than the 2018, instead it is moreish, mouthwatering, classically balanced, with oyster shell salinity, slate tannins, blackberries, crushed rapsberry with white pepper and sage spice. First one to have a touch of Carmanère in the blend. 50% new oak for ageing, 50hl/h yield. Eric Boissenot consultant, Philippe Delfaut director.

More concentrated and exuberant than the 2017, reflective of a year where they lost 50% of the harvest to mildew - the Cantenac plateau was the epicentre of the issues in the vintage, and here Kirwan was taking its first steps with organic farming. It meant a high percentage of Petit Verdot, and you feel the weight through the mid palate, and the waves of black pepper, sage, rosemary, rose oil, incense, cassis, pomegranate and passion fruit, complex and really rather lovely. Needs more time in bottle. 50% new oak for ageing.

Love this, back to the crushed rose petals, delicate white pepper, capsicum and pomegranate, with mouthwatering oyster sapidity on the finish. It is from this point, in what was a relatively challenging vintage, that you start to see how Kirwan is regularly delivering great wines with appellation typicity. 50% new oak for ageing, 38hl/h yield. Eric Boissenot consultant, Philippe Delfaut director.

A touch of crème de cassis on the aromatics here, with slate, crayon, crushed rocks, cassis, blackberry, cocoa bean. More muscular and a little less charming than the 2015, at least for now, with a ton of ageing potential. This has character and concentration but needs longer in the bottle. Very Left Bank - the most typical Médoc of the vertical. 50% new oak for ageing, 50hl/h yield. Harvest 27 September to 20 October, Eric Boissenot consultant, Philippe Delfaut director.

As with the 2009, you can discern the impact of the vintage on the aromatics, with depth and power, waves of cumin and rosemary, sage, liqourice root, blackberry, cassis, crushed rose petals. Excellent quality, 51hl/h yield, 50% new oak for ageing. Harvesting began September 18. First year vinified in the new ageing cellars. Underlines how Margaux was unusual in the Médoc for being a really excellent appellation to head to in the 2015 vintage. Eric Boissenot consultant, Philippe Delfaut director.

Spennende vin. Litt syrlig, ikke så tørr. Drikker gjerne igjen.

Amatør

The 2013 Kirwan is medium garnet in color, with a touch of brick. It slips out of the glass with fragrant scents of kirsch, rose oil, and powdered cinnamon, plus hints of unsmoked cigars and fragrant soil. Medium-bodied, the palate is soft and lively, with delicate red fruits and a spicy finish.

The 2012 Kirwan is medium to deep garnet colored. It rolls up with classic scents of cassis, blackberry preserves, and cigar box, plus touches of Ceylon tea and dried roses. Medium-bodied, it has lovely energy and brightness in the mouth, with plush tannins and a lifted finish.

A cooler-than-average but dry vintage, and this is showing edges of library, gunsmoke, capsicum and tobacco leaf, good weight through the palate, with lift underneath. Subtle with real charm and appellation typicity, and as things open a shot of blackcurrant pastille arrives, adding richness and a more intense fruit character. Tannins a little austere but they hug the palate and there is finesse here. Give it a good few hours in a carafe. Harvest 12 to 29 September, 41hl/h yield, 45% new oak for ageing.

Amateur

Dark fruit aromatics, blackberry leaf, liqourice and violet flowers, this maintains a fresh grip through the palate, tannins musclar and a little austere but this is ready to drink after a few hours in a carafe. Perfect for sharing around a table, with liliting acidity that makes it a great food wine. At this point they switched to blending after three months ageing in barrel, and introduced co-innoculation in the cellar, both techniques favoured by consultant Eric Boissenot, but still using the former cellar, meaning larger vats than today. Harvest began October 1, and this was the first year where harvesting took place according to soil types. 45% new oak for ageing, 30hl/h yield.

In theory a weaker vintage than the 2006 but this has better grip and freshness, tertiary character now kicking in with undergrowth, capsicum and crushed leaf, plenty of brambled fruits, a ton of character, and crushed rose petals on the finish. Has soft lift through the plalate and is a delicious food wine. Blend done at the beginning in this vintage, a change from Michel Rolland consulting, under new arrival Philippe Delfaut as director (arriving after harvest), and Eric/Jacques Boissenot as consultants. 50% new oak for ageing, with a lighter toast than previous vintages, 41hl/h yield.

This has soft and supple tannins, heading towards tertiary although the raspberry and blackberry fruit is still present. A charming wine, with soft rose petals, grilled cocoa bean and campfire, fades out on the finish but still enjoyable, one to drink within the next decade to keep the fruit focus. Harvest began September 22, 60% new oak for ageing, with a section also doing malolactic in new oak, then the rest transferred to barrels in January following harvest. Blend completed at the end of ageing, Michel Rolland's last vintage, 40hl/h yield.

Dyp herlig rødfarge og duft av tobakk, skogbunn, sedertre, krydder og vanilje. Stor kropp med balansert syre og vedvarende finish. Luftet i dekanter.

Duft av mørke frukter, eik, og vanilje. Dyp rødfarge med brunlig kant. Også hint av lær. Herlige tanniner, men noe kort finish. Klassevin som nærmer seg enden av sitt drikkevindu.

Truffles, saffron, wheat, beautifully soft campfire and cold ash smoke, with intense white flower aromatics. The tannins are melted into the structure, and this is very much in its drinking window, tertiary and open, thoroughly charming, floats out of the glass with delicacy and finesse. Dangerously easy to gulp down. Jean-Henri Schyler in charge at the time.

2023	No priceNot available	Very Good
2022	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2021	No priceNot available	Excellent
2020	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2019	No priceNot available	Outstanding

Category	Red wine
Vinmonopolet no.
Producer	Ch. Kirwan
Vintages	2002
Country	France, Bordeaux, Margaux
Bottle	75 cl

Alcohol	%
Acid	%
Sugar	g/l

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