Château Kirwan 2014

$70.00
Out of stock
SKU
2997-2014

• Domaine: Château Kirwan
• Appellation: Margaux
• Classification: Third Growth, 3ème Grand Cru Classé
• Origin: Left Bank, Bordeaux, France

Château Kirwan is a charming Third Growth estate located in the Margaux region.  Visitors that are fortunate enough to roam the grounds are often dazzled by stunning rose gardens and exquisite views of vineyards in Margaux and Cantenac.  Château Kirwan is all about accessible, modern, and elegant hospitality -- with a tasting room that looks like a quaint living room.  The message they want you to absorb here is, “Come, stay, rest awhile and taste our wines.”  Lucky visitors have the opportunity to taste vintages that date as far back as 1968 -- a rare opportunity in Bordeaux normally given to industry insiders and the elite.  This notion of elegance without pretense permeates throughout the estate, right down to the wines.  Buyers who are frustrated with the extravagant Bordeaux prices often find more recent vintages of Château Kirwan to overdeliver, yet still remain accessible and easy to purchase.  

The history of Château Kirwan dates back to 1710 when it was purchased by Englishman and experienced negociant Sir John Collingwood.  He was responsible for aggressively marketing this wine to England and ensured the wine was served at the Royal Court in London.  Collingwood willed the estate to his daughter who married Mark Kirwan.  The estate was named Château Kirwan after his surname.  Mark Kirwan increased the vineyard holdings and built the Château on the property – which still resides there in all its glory today.  In the 19th Century on his whirlwind trip to Bordeaux, Thomas Jefferson visited the estate and declared it was, “one of the great Second Growths in Bordeaux,” and considered it second in quality behind Château Margaux, Château Latour, Château Haut Brion, and Château Lafite Rothschild.  The négociants disagreed with this statement, and during the 1855 Classification Château Kirwan was ranked as a Third Growth or “Troisème Cru.”

The 40-hectare vineyard is currently run by the negociant Schyler and Schroder, and they have made a series of improvements to the estate.  The vines here are 35 years old on average.  The viticultural team at Château Kirwan recently added newer plantings of Carmenere to the standard mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc that are planted in the vineyard’s gravely terroir.  The 2017 vintage was the first vintage to feature Carmenere in the blend.  Like a few other Châteaux, Château Kirwan practices Co-inoculation, a process where malolactic fermentation takes place alongside alcoholic fermentation. This yields soft, silky and supple wines.  In the vat room, concrete tulip shaped fermentation vessels have been added to allow for parcel-by-parcel vinification. Château Kirwan started a bit of a trend with these impressive looking tanks, and other châteaux are beginning to follow suit.

The wines are soft and best enjoyed young, with a stunning lacework of tasting notes that is a signature to the wines of the Margaux region.  One can expect aromas of rose pepper, vanilla, and succulently ripe black cherries and currants. They have received mounting critical praise over the past few vintages, with fairly consistent scores in the 90 points range. These delightful, friendly wines are a fabulous example of an accessible Bordeaux.  Savvy buyers should take note -- Château Kirwan offers high quality Bordeaux wines without the pretense. 

Tasting Notes

"The 2014 Kirwan has a brisk raspberry and wild strawberry nose, a touch confit with rose petal scents emerging with time, the vanilla aspect observed in barrel now completely assimilated. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and well-judged acidity. Harmonious in the mouth with good body, it builds nicely with cedar and white pepper-infused black fruit, though it just cuts away swiftly on the finish that maybe knocked off a point on the bottle tasting in October 2016, though six months later, a second bottle showed more persistence. This is a commendable Kirwan that should give 15-20 years of pleasure." - Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate (3/31/2017, Interim Issue), Ratings: 91, Drink: 2019-2038


More Information
LWIN 1011768
Stock Status Out of Stock
Appellation Margaux
Vintage 2014
Brand Chateau Kirwan
Shipping Weight 3.000000
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Margaux is well known for its prime location in the Haut-Médoc subregion on the Left Bank along the Gironde estuary, which provides a temperate maritime climate and ideal conditions for grape cultivation. The cultivation of vines and wine production in Margaux can be traced back to Roman times. However, during the Middle Ages, the wine industry in Bordeaux began to take shape, and centuries later, Margaux continued to build its reputation as a premier wine appellation throughout the 20th century. 

Margaux is known for its diverse and complex terroir, with gravelly, sandy, and clay-rich soils. The gravelly soils provide excellent drainage and heat retention, particularly favorable for the ripening of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, the primary grape variety grown in Margaux.

Margaux is celebrated for producing elegant and refined red wines. These wines are often described as having a delicate and perfumed character, with aromas of blackcurrant, violets, and other red and black fruits. They are known for their balance, finesse, and exceptional aging potential.

The appellation gained international recognition for producing some of the world's finest wines. Its namesake champion, Château Margaux, was named in 1855 as one of the original First Growths (Premiers Crus). In addition, Margaux is home to these classified estates: Château Palmer, Château Rauzan-Ségla, Château Rauzan-Gassies, Château Durfort-Vivens, Château Lascombes, Château Brane-CantenacChâteau Giscours, Château Kirwan, Château d'Issan, Château Malescot St.-Exupery, Château Cantenac Brown, Château Desmirail, Château Ferriere, Château Marquis d'Alesme, Château Boyd-Cantenac, Château Prieuré-Lichine, Château Marquis de Terme, Château Dauzac.

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