Château Kirwan 2018

Critic scores

• Wine Enthusiast96
• James Suckling94
• Wine Spectator94
• Jeb Dunnuck93
• Wine Advocate92
• Vinous92
• Decanter92

The 2018 vintage in Margaux

Vintage benchmark: 95/100 (appellation benchmark, not a score for this wine)

Vintage character: After a spring marked by mildew, the heat concentrated a small crop: rich, ripe wines with great depth of material.

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

The colour is dark and the nose is rich, with notes of ripe black fruit such as black cherry and blackberry. To this are added spice aromas such as sweet pepper and cinnamon. The concentration can already be sensed on the nose. The attack is fresh and inviting, evolving into a creamy, smooth, supple texture that fills the palate. To the previous aromas are added subtle notes of vanilla brought by the long ageing. This wine is broad in the mid-palate and stretches into a long aromatic finish, carried by soft tannins that build in crescendo. 2018 is the perfect synthesis of what we look for: elegant, rich but not ostentatious. A vintage to be enjoyed now, but also in 25 years!

Figures from the 2018 sheet

• 14.5 % vol.Alcohol
• 25 hl/haYield

Ageing

19 months in barrel, 65% of which new.

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.