Margaux · vintage 2008
Château Kirwan 2008
Ageing potential20 years and beyond
Why this vintage
- The 2008 vintage in MargauxA bright late season saved a cool summer: wines of unexpected freshness and aromatic precision.
- Ageing potential20 years and beyond
The 2008 vintage in Margaux
Vintage benchmark: 91/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)
Vintage character: A bright late season saved a cool summer: wines of unexpected freshness and aromatic precision.
Overall reading of the year’s season across Margaux. An estate can depart from it sharply, in frost or hail years, where two neighbours did not make the same vintage. What this particular wine actually gave is on its technical sheet and in the scores above.
Tasting
At the end of June 2010, after 19 months of ageing in barrel (45% of which new), the wine was bottled. At this stage, it reveals a fine aromatic complexity mingling fruit such as blackcurrant and well-ripened cherry with sweet spice and vanilla. The attack is fresh, lightly minty, supple. The tannins appear progressively, giving body to the whole and supporting a long, finely oaked finish.
Blend of the 2008 vintage
- 51 % Cabernet-sauvignon
- 18 % Merlot
- 16 % Cabernet franc
- 15 % Petit verdot
Shares for this vintage, as recorded on the 2008 technical sheet. The vineyard itself is planted with 47 % cabernet sauvignon, 34 % merlot, 10 % cabernet franc, 8 % petit verdot, 1 % carménère — a vintage blend departs from the area under vine as the year dictates.
Figures from the 2008 sheet
- 13 % vol.Alcohol
- 30 hl/haYield
- 27 yrsVine age
- 90,000 bottlesProduction
Winemaking
The 'levée de colle' racking, carried out 'to the fine point' by candlelight, is one of the traditional interventions essential to the wine's evolution.
Ageing
The grand vin of Château Kirwan benefits from an average of 40% new oak. Ageing in barrel will last 20 months. That is long... but short compared with the decades the wine needs to improve in bottle.
Terroir
With 40 ha of vines and 46 separate parcels, Kirwan continues to develop the rich potential of its terroir, adapting viticulture to the soil and the climate. Situated on the gravel rise of Cantenac, bordering the river born of a thousand-year erosion, this terroir reveals and expresses its geological capital. Recently confirmed by a soil study aimed at better understanding the composition of the soils, the role of the gravels is essential: by aiding drainage and warming, it encourages the roots to explore deep down. The clay captures water and preserves its freshness, playing a key moderating role during severe droughts or heatwaves.
An offer on Château Kirwan 2008
Availability, allocations and terms: the Compagnie Médocaine will reply promptly. The estate and vintage are already filled in in the message.
Texts and documents 2008
The texts below copy in one click for your product sheets, catalogues and social channels. The printable sheet condenses the whole page onto a single A4 page.
Visuals
For this vintage, the media library contains: packshots. High-definition packshots, labels, back labels and lifestyle photos are reserved for clients and partners, on the Compagnie Médocaine’s VinCod media library.
Sheet checked on September 21, 2026. Technical data: the estate’s VinCod sheets. Critic scores: sources cited above, with their date. Vintage benchmarks and character: Compagnie Médocaine’s own editorial read. Soils and relief, where shown: the Compagnie Médocaine’s parcel survey and the Mapbox/IGN terrain model.