Château Kirwan 2022

Jeb Dunnuck

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 drink window. It will ideally be given 4-6 years of bottle age and enjoyed over the following two decades.

James Suckling

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.

Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux

Cameron Douglas MS

Some notes on the 2022 vintage directly from Chateau Kirwan website: 2022 -back to the future «Unlike 2021, which reminded us of some of the vintages of old, 2022 heralded the arrival of the future and showed how much climatic variations impact our work as wine growers. It was a year of contrasts and excesses, but the vintage, in the end, was a success.» Philippe Delfaut – General Manager Extreme figures across the board The preceding winter was the coldest in 10 years. A period of heavy rain in late 2021 gave way to drought, which began in January and intensified until the end of May. The vines budded at their normal dates (late March for the Merlot and early April for the Cabernet), and then 2 frosty nights on 3rd and 4th April caused concern for the new vine shoots. 2 plots outside the Cantenac plateau were at risk, and we successfully protected them with the warm glow of lanterns which we placed in the rows. In early May, temperatures soared and were well above average by around 2 to 3°C. The shoots now grew quickly, and the cycle surged ahead, so much so that the flowering process took place in late May, instead of the normal time in June. A very early harvest was predicted. In June, a spell of rain, which occurred to varying degrees depending on sector, brought some welcome relief for the vines. 50% less rain fell in Margaux, however, than in Pessac and Saint Julien. Drought conditions resumed in July during an exceptionally early veraison. Temperatures meanwhile soared in July and August with highs of over 30°C recorded on 30 days. Usually during the whole of summer, highs of only 25°C are recorded on 30 days! What was beneficial for the grapes’ phenolic components however proved detrimental for the size of the berries, which remained small. The sweltering summer heat caused defoliation among the young vines, which had suffered badly from the lack of water. We observed that vines planted on soils containing clay performed better than soils made up of loose, sandy gravel, since clay maintained moisture better and dried out less. The earliest-ever harvest Berries sampled from the vines revealed very aromatic skins with tannins that showed no vegetal character. The pips had quickly turned brown and on crunching showed roasted flavours. On squeezing the skins between the fingers, colour came easily. On each day of the last week of August the temperature rose to above 30°C, while berries were beginning to dehydrate. Given the context, on 31st August, it was decided to bring forward the start of the harvest to 5th September. We had never set such an early date to begin the picking. The harvest finished on 22nd September. In 2021, we were only beginning the harvest on 23rd September.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

A blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2022 Kirwan exhibits aromas of dark berries, cassis, sweet spices, pencil shavings and creamy new oak, followed by a medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy palate that's unusually lively for the vintage, checking in at a pH of 3.55, a number that it would be impressive to attain on gravel soils in this vintage without acidification.