2019 Kirwan
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Tasting notes
Delivers power, balance, and juice, stretches out through the palate, less exuberant than the 2018, instead it is moreish, mouthwatering, classically balanced, with oyster shell salinity, slate tannins, blackberries, crushed rapsberry with white pepper and sage spice. First one to have a touch of Carmanère in the blend. 50% new oak for ageing, 50hl/h yield. Eric Boissenot consultant, Philippe Delfaut director.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Decanter
More reviews and scores
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.
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.
Tasted blind. Pure, directed, focused scent. Minerally and lifted. Not especially concentrated but a racy 21st-century wine with real transparency. Stony character and impressively long. Distinctive. (JR)
About the producer
Philippe Delfaut has been integral to the transformation of Ch. Kirwan, taking an estate known for its lavish, Michel-Rolland style and bringing more classicism – with increased precision in the vineyard and winery.