Wine Advisor
Kirwan 2001
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The nose seems to be affected by a little brett. Saddle-leather, damson and a touch of sloes. The palate is a little over-extracted with grainy tannins. Lacks definition and nervosite with a very modern, oaky finish. This is rather disappointing after a great showing out of barrel. Tasted October 2007.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This is a full-bodied, corpulent, ambitiously styled wine, with an opaque purple color and a sweet toasty nose intermixed with blackberry and cassis jam, cedar, and a hint of caramel and chocolate. Spicy, ripe, layered, and large-scaled, it is one 2001 that will require patience. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2015.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A lovely rich, floral nose with quite pronounced new oak, cassis and an element of sawdust. The palate has good concentration with firm tannins with just a hint of brett and asphalt. A masculine wine for the long-term. Then at the IMW tasting in November 2005. The nose is very closed. Violets and a touch of iodine, but still a little sulky. The palate is very harmonious with good delineation, although the new oak is dominating the mid-palate. Firm grip, much more masculine than I remember it, firm build and authoritive. Great potential.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2001 displays an impressively saturated dense ruby/purple color, followed by obvious toasty new oak, black fruit, earth, and Asian spice scents. High tannin results in a certain angularity, but it cuts a large swath across the palate. If the oak and tannin become better integrated, this Margaux will merit a score in the upper eighties. If not, it will be an austere wine with the potential to dry out. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2015.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2001 Kirwan is nearly as good as their splendid 2000. A dense purple color is accompanied by a bouquet of barbecue smoke, graphite, black cherries, creme de cassis, and a hint of espresso. Full-bodied and layered, with outstanding richness, purity, and sweetness on the palate, this firmly structured, well-delineated, impressively made, full throttle effort should hit its peak in 2-3 years, and last for 12-15. It will be one of the longest lived of the 2001 Medocs.
About the Producer
Kirin Castle's vineyards are located on the Cantenac Heights and cover an area of 37 hectares. Due to the diverse terroir, the winery divides it into 35 parks, in order to adapt to local conditions and fully exploit the potential of each piece of land. Among them, the soil of the Cabinet Ouest is stratified clay, and the Merlot produced here is round and plump; the Mois de juin is distributed with gravel soil, which is conducive to Cabernet Sauvignon (Cabernet Sauvignon) ) ripening and giving it velvety tannins; while another, Canon, also on gravel soils, is located at the highest altitude and is mainly planted with Petit Verdot. The complicated vineyard work of wire racking, tying vines, thinning branches and leaves and grape picking is done manually. After the ripe grapes are picked, they are screened layer by layer before being transported to the winemaking workshop, where they undergo the same meticulous fermentation process. The fermented wine will be aged in French oak barrels with a proportion of about 50% new barrels for about 20 months. During this period, traditional egg white clarification and pouring are required before bottling. It is thanks to the understanding and respect of the vineyard, coupled with the meticulous brewing process, that the excellent quality of Kirin wine was born. In addition, the winery's winemaking consultant is Eric Boissenot, an influential winemaker who will guide the winery's winemaking together with the winery's general manager and technical director. At present, the wines launched by Kirin Castle mainly include the original wine—Chateau Kirwan, Margaux, France and the second wine, Charmes de Kirwan, Margaux, France. Kirin Castle red wine is made from grapes from the best plots of the Kirin Castle vineyard, the fruit picking and two screening are done by hand. Rich and concentrated on the palate, it perfectly expresses the extraordinary terroir of Kirin Castle. The second brand of Château Kirin is made from grapes from young plots in the vineyard. Its fruity taste is outstanding, the mouthfeel is supple, suitable for drinking in the morning.
1982(2)1995(1)1998(2)2000(3)
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