| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Margaux |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This third growth Margaux property has 40 hectares of vines planted with 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot. A second wine Les Charmes de Kirwan is also produced.
The 2017 Kirwan has a highly perfumed, very floral bouquet. It is almost like walking into your neighborhood florist! The palate is rich and silky smooth on the entry, a very concentrated Kirwan with saturated tannins. Certainly one of the richer takes of the vintage within the appellation, it just needs more delineation and terroir expression on the finish. Maybe it will with time? One for the cellar. 2024 - 2040.
This shows fantastic depth and fruit quality for the vintage with crushed currants, raspberries and flowers to the medium to full body, round and ripe tannins and flavorful finish. Good tension and poise. Drink after 2022.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Kirwan has a warm blackberries and black raspberries nose with hints of kirsch, roses and sandalwood. The palate is medium-bodied with plush tannins and plenty of freshness supporting the elegant fruit, finishing perfumed and very pretty.
This is well extracted, with dark berry fruits, attractive tobacco leaf and charcoal notes. It has that same savoury frame that so many from Margaux have this year, and the fruit character is not bursting with generosity but is still expressive and lyrical. It really does offer something for those looking for a more sculpted wine. Medium term drinking.
Drinking Window 2024 - 2038
Healthy cherry red. Sweet-smelling damson fruit. Darkly fragrant. Dry, chalky texture but smooth and in harmony if lacking a spark on the mid palate. Juicy finish.
Drink 2023-2035
We are told that in 2017 only plots further inland from the estuary that normally supply the second wine were hit by spring frosts. The grand vin was harvested between September 14th and 28th and the final blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. Bright purple in the glass, this wine is perfumed, with notes of violet, rose and cherry blossom. The palate is svelte and soft with ripe and fine grained tannins framing a compact core of cherry blossom and crunchy red cherry. This is a charming, approachable wine that should drink well in its youth.
Sweet fruit the nose has a rich mix of ripe black fruits the start of the palate generous. Firmer in the middle the acidity is quite high the tannins tight and although it opens up at the back the tannins tend to dry and shorten the finish. Drink 2025 - 2037.
The nose is decent but the palate is stripped and the tannins are far too hard and sour. The fruit is really struggling to be heard here.
The 2017 Kirwan has a slightly smudged bouquet that does not quite deliver the detail of its peers: raspberry preserve and crushed strawberry at first, then light sous-bois and smoke aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly angular tannin, not as cohesive as I would have liked although I appreciate the cracked black pepper note on the aftertaste. This is a château that I feel can produce great Margaux however, the 2017 does not possess the nuance and complexity of the best examples from the appellation. Drink 2021 - 2033.
Some berry and sweet-tobacco character. Medium body, fresh fruit and a firm tannin backbone. Bright acidity.
