Wine Advisor
Kirwan 2019
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
Sporting a deep garnet-purple color, the 2019 Kirwan comes prancing out of the glass with beguiling scents of rose petals, Morello cherries, boysenberries and warm cassis plus nuances of pencil shavings, wild sage and lavender. Medium-bodied, the palate is elegantly textured with invigorating red berry and floral-laced flavors lifting the black fruits, finishing on a lingering ferrous note. Impressively crafted!
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 2019 Kirwan opens in the glass with a reticent bouquet of muddled berry fruit, spices and pencil shavings, followed by a medium-bodied, youthfully firm palate with a delicate core of fruit and powdery structuring tannins. This lacks a little precision and plenitude in this generous vintage.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2019 Kirwan has not really come together with élevage. It shows good brightness and energy, but the contours remain angular. There is no way getting around the lack of depth and complexity here. Tasted two times.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2019 Kirwan is a bit rustic and rough around the edges; let's see if it comes together during élevage. Today the 2019 is disjointed and not terribly expressive, while also lacking the vibrance of its peers.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2019 Kirwan has an understated, cedar and graphite-tinged bouquet, a little Pauillac-like in style, nuanced and gaining intensity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with taut tannins, focused, tensile and linear with plenty of sapidity towards its oyster shell-tinged finish. Very precise and very sophisticated, this is the best Kirwan in many years - maybe a benchmark for the estate. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2019 Kirwan retains the engaging floral aromas that I noticed from barrel, well-defined and fragrant, rose petals and a touch of peony complementing the red currant and wild strawberry fruit. The fresh palate is medium-bodied, fleshy and generous, with supple tannins and a hint of white pepper toward the finish, which fans out nicely. This is one of the best Kirwans in recent years and yet I still feel this Margaux can reach higher.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2019 Kirwan offers a quintessential Margaux bouquet with vivid black and blue fruit laced with crushed violets, a sensual and generous nose that will please many. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy rounded tannins, one of the texturally creamiest within the Margaux appelation. I feel it just shaves away some tension and grip on the finish. This will be a thoroughly pleasurable Kirwan.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The 2019 Kirwan is performing better than it did six months ago. Bursting with aromas of blackberries, currants, lilac blossom and creamy new oak, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a succulent core of fruit, soft tannins and a mouthwatering finish. It was evidently shut down after bottling when I last tasted it, as this is now a giving, fruit-driven, modern-styled Margaux that will appeal to readers seeking upfront appeal in the near future.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2019 Kirwan offers a quintessential Margaux bouquet with vivid black and blue fruit laced with crushed violets, a sensual and generous nose that will please many. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy rounded tannins, one of the texturally creamiest within the Margaux appelation. I feel it just shaves away some tension and grip on the finish. This will be a thoroughly pleasurable Kirwan.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Lovely depth of fruit to this, and a line of tannins that draw through the wine. It’s medium-to full-bodied with polished structure. Focused and transparent. Better than the 2018.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Blackcurrants with bark, cedar and dried flowers coming through in the nose. Full-bodied with integrated tannins and a long, linear finish. Racy and refined. Sophisticated. Try after 2024.
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)2001(1)2002(2)2003(3)2004(1)2005(7)2009(2)2010(5)2011(1)2012(2)2013(1)2014(2)2015(3)2016(6)2017(3)2018(4)
Package Size
