2022 Château Kirwan

The 2022 Kirwan was transferred into barrel early in October, blended at the end of January, aged for 20 months in 50% new oak and bottled in June 2024. It has a delineated, focused bouquet, with commendable purity of fruit, blackberry and bilberry notes, a light estuarine touch (sea spray) and cedar. The oak is very well integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with granular tannins, a keen thread of acidity and a little more structured than I remember from barrel, rendering it more similar to the 2020 than the 2019. It's lively and peppery on the aftertaste, with more precision than recent vintages. This vindicates my positive review from two years ago. It is one of the finest Kirwans in recent years.

- Neal Martin (01/2025)

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. (01/2025)

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. (02/2025)