Château Kirwan 2022

Intense aroma, lots of fruit, ripe, complex; dense palate, generous fruit core, extracted, yet with very fine balance, crisp, concentrated, long-lasting, spicy finish. Power and elegance united. Perhaps the best Kirwan I’ve had the chance to taste so far.

This is flush with blackberry and mulberry reduction flavors, inlaid with violet, iris and ink notes. The inky edge adds a sense of tension through the finish, with snippets of iron, rose hip and black tea woven into the long, focused finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2026 through 2040. 7,500 cases made, 700 cases imported.

Ripe and perfumed aromas. Supple and fleshy on the palate, there's a sense of cushioning to the expression with plump fruit but not too massy or ripe, especially with a mineral-edged, salty acidity that lifts the tannins from being too heavy. It's on the fully charged spectrum but also delivers lots of juiciness. When it settles this will be very pleasurable.

Blackcurrants and blueberries with violet and heather aromas follow through to a medium to full body with firm and racy tannins and a linear and persistent finish. Solid and precise. Drink after 2028.

The 2022 Kirwan is a bold, juicy Margaux that will drink well on release. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, new leather and spice add an exuberant flair, while silky, plush tannins are beautifully measured. It’s hard to find much fault with a wine that offers this much pure pleasure.

Flowers, black cherries, currants, and espresso form the core of this round, supple, creamy, medium-bodied, and fresh wine. This will drink well with just a year or so of age, and will provide pleasure for at least two decades after that. Drink from 2027–2050.

The 2022 Château Kirwan is based on 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot that spent 18 months in barrel. It has a classic nose of spicy oak, ripe red and black fruits, baking spices, and flowers. This carries to a medium- to full-bodied Margaux with a concentrated, pure, layered mouthfeel, some nicely integrated, classy oak, polished tannins, and a great finish. It's a wonderfully complex, concentrated, balanced 2022 that's just about impossible to resist today, yet will have a lengthy drinking window. Ideally, give it 4–6 years of bottle age and enjoy it over the following two decades.

Sandalwood, cumin and white pepper spice on the opening, well-judged delivery, luscious black cherry fruit, love the lift through the finish, great quality and real character. Very good appellation typicity in this ripe year; this is the second time tasting it since bottling, and it continues to impress. 50% new oak.

Serious and masculine, the nose reveals aromas of purple, dark, ripe fruits. On the palate, it is juicy, fine and generous, with a power that builds gradually, like the caress of a large hand, strong yet delicate.

The nose is beautifully led, deep, elegant, finely aromatic, precise and intense. It reveals notes of boysenberry, black cherry/morello cherry and, more lightly, violet, combined with touches of crushed strawberry and cornflower, fine hints of chocolate, and a very discreet hint of lily, infusion and toasted hazelnut. The palate is fruity, elegant, racy, indulgent and precise, offering accuracy, tangy brightness, softness, lovely energy, purity, a fresh gravel/margalaise character, and a subtle airy creaminess with freshness. Lovely mid-palate. A delicately textured, fresh and creamy feel. On the palate, the wine shows notes of pulpy/bright red cherry, crushed raspberry and, more lightly, fleshy/juicy plum, combined with touches of small roasted–elegant fruits, as well as hints of toasty notes, nutmeg, Bourbon vanilla and a subtle almost‑infusion note. Attractive chew and gourmandise. The tannins are soft, gourmand, saline and offer a fine chalky edge.

Deep-coloured wine with an intense, refined, pure, fruity nose, becoming highly aromatic when the glass is swirled. Precise on the attack and fragrant through the mid-palate, it keeps this asset through to the finish, where it shows juicy and very flavoursome. It is the most aromatic Kirwan vintage I know. Once again, clay wins in 2022.

Owned by the Bordeaux negociant firm Schroder and Schÿler, this estate has produced a massive wine. Full of rich tannins and layers of black fruits and a firm core, the wine has a long-term future. Drink from 2029.