Chateau Kirwan

Newstime：2009-08-04 09:22:54 Befrom： Writer：

History

Chateau Kirwan gained its name in the 18th Century, having previously been the property of Renard de la Salle, a Bordeaux nobleman, when it was known as La Terre Noble de la Salle. In 1710 the estate was sold to Sir John Collingwood, a merchant who had established his trade in the quayside warehouses of Bordeaux. With his keen interest and knowledge it was Collingwood that established the estate as a working vineyard. Subsequently, Collingwood's daughter married Mark Kirwan, an Irishman, and the property took on a new name. Kirwan established a very good reputation for his property, and his vineyard was one of many to be visited by Thomas Jefferson, onetime ambassador to France and subsequent US President.The history of all Bordeaux chateaux of note always include at least two difficult periods; the French Revolution of the late 18th Century, and the economic depression of the early 20th Century (occasionally with a little Phylloxera as well, just trouble to liven things up). Kirwan is no exception. In 1789 the estate was seized, although Kirwan, perhaps by virtue of his country of birth, escaped unharmed. Under Napoleon he subsequently regained the estate, expanding it to incorporate the nearby Ganet property. In the history of Kirwan this has been the only major change in the vineyard area, and the property remains today as it was during Napoleon's time.
Mark Kirwan died on the estate in 1815, forty years before his and his father-in-law's efforts were rewarded with classification as a third growth in 1855. The property subsequently came into the hands of Camille Godard, a botanist. Godard went on to become Mayor of Bordeaux, and in 1882 he bequeathed his fortune to the city. This funded the splendid Parc de Bordelais, 30 ha of botanical paradise in central Bordeaux, designed by Eugene Bülher, and stocked with specimens of sequoia, magnolia, walnut and cypress, to name a few, provided by Godard. Sadly, Chateau Kirwan did not have the same attention lavished upon it, and at the turn of the century it was auctioned, the purchasers being the négociant firm Schroder & Schyler.

Times, however, were hard. The depression and two World Wars, following hard on the heels of Phylloxera, had a significant impact on life at Chateau Kirwan. It was not until 1950 that Chateau Kirwan showed the first signs of a turnaround. The renaissance was led by the next generation of the Schyler family, Jean-Henri. What land that was fallow - or even planted for the production of hay - was replanted. He restructured the vineyards, and in the next decade introduced chateau-bottling. The wines had a commercial outlet through Schroder & Schyler's businesses across Europe, and Jean-Henri sought new contacts in North America to ensure continued commercial success. Since 1991 Michel Rolland has consulted here, and there is a certain suggestion of markedly improved quality over the most recent vintages. With commercial success comes - with any sense - fresh investment, and there has been no shortage of this in recent years, with a restoration of the chateau and a new barrel cellar being just two of the activities. And although the estate is still home to Jean-Henri, in the early 21st Century it is Yann, Natalie and Sophie Schyler that have taken the reins at Chateau Kirwan.
Over the past few decades Kirwan has not been a highly regarded or sought-after wine. Nevertheless, reports of significant improvements in the wines of the property - with positive notes on the 2000 vintage particularly prominent - make the wines of Chateau Kirwan worth evaluating. Doubtless investment and innovation, including the introduction of the second wine, have helped considerably in the improvements here.
Nowaday’s Owner: Jean-Henri Schyler
Technique Information
Location: The vineyards of Chateau Kirwan lie on the Cantenac plateau, with near neighbours Prieure-Lichine and Desmirail.
Appellation: Appellation Margaux Controlee
Neighboring Chateau: Chateau Desmirail(3rd Growth of Margaux in1855)
Chateau Prieure-Lichine (4th Growth of Margaux in1855)
Acreage: 35 hectares (about 86 acres)
Soil: Sandy, and dominated by gravel topsoil
Grape Varietals: 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Petit Verdot.
Average age of vines: 27 years
Viticulture: The vins are uprooted at fifty years of age, and replanted once the land has lain fallow for up to five years. Each year the vines see a green harvest. Harvest by hand.
Winemaking: Fermented in small, temperature-controlled, stainless steel vats.Aging18 months in oak, one third new each vintage.
Yield: 50 hl/ha
Brand: Chateau Kirwan(First Label)(A.O.C. Margaux)
Les Charmes de Kirwan(Second Label)(A.O.C. Margaux)
Annually production: Chateau Kirwan(First Label): 16,000 cases
Les Charmes de Kirwan (Second Label): 4,000 cases
Character:
Chateau Kirwan (First Label): Kirwan is exquisitely elegant, well-structured and typical of the very finest in the Margaux appellation. Light-bodied, can be drunk at its youth.
Best Vintages: Chateau Kirwan (First Label): 2000, 2003, 2005
Award: 3rd Grand Cru Classe in 1855 Margaux.
Website: http://www.chateau-kirwan.com/
Serving Suggestion
Cellar Humidity and Temperature: 70-85%, 15℃
Serving Temperature: 18 °C
Optimum Drinking and Ageing Potential: 10-15 years
Food match:
Chateau Kirwan(First Label):
Western Food: Game, red meat or white meat, cheese board, and spicy dishes. Beef, poultry, cheese, pasta with cream sauce, heasty stew, pizza, pork, veal, game, Duck, Goose.

Next Chateau D’Issan
Pre Chateau Malescot Saint-Exupery