Château Kirwan is a 3ième Grand Cru Classé in Margaux. The visit of Château Kirwan comprised of a vineyard and cellar tour, followed by a light lunch at Château Kirwan.
Château Kirwan is managed and owned by the Schyler family since 1950. Today, the château is managed by Yann, Natalie and Sophie Schyler.
We have visited Château Kirwan on a number of tours. Also, Annette has organized a number of events with Sophie Schyler in the Washington DC area.
Pictures: Sophie Schÿler, Owner, Château Kirwan, Appellation Margaux, Philippe Blanc, General Manager, Château Beychevelle, Appellation Saint-Julien and Annette Schiller, Owner, ombiasy PR and WineTours, for a Winemaker Dinner at the French Embassy, Le Café Descartes, in Washington DC, USA
Pictures: Sophie Schyler Pouring at the 2016 UGC Tasting in Washington DC and at a Private Dinner with Annette and Christian Schiller and Marlene and Charles Bullfighter Reddoor following the Tasting. See: Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGC) on the 2016 North America Tour - Schiller’s FavoritesPictures: Sophie Schÿler of Château Kirwan, Annette Schiller of ombiasy PR and WineTours and Chef/ Owner Driss Zahidi of Evo Bistro in McLean, Virginia, at Evo Bistro. See: Sophie Schÿler, Owner of Château Kirwan, 3ième Grand Cru Classé, Margaux, for a Wine Pairing Luncheon at Evo Bistro in McLean, with the Wines of RdV and Clemens Busch, USA/ France/ Germany
Château Kirwan, 3ième Grand Cru Classé, Appellation Margaux
Châteaux Kirwan exists since the late 17 th century. In 1710 Sir John Collingwood, a wine merchant, bought the property and established it as working vineyard. His daughter married an Irishman, Mark Kirwan and hence the name was born.
Thomas Jefferson, then Ambassador of the United States in France, visited the Bordeaux vineyards in May 1787. He was not only the future president of the United States, but the greatest emissary of Bordeaux wines. In his travel diary and his book Jefferson on Wine, he elevated Kirwan wine to a second classified growth, making it much more recognizable on the far shores of the Atlantic.
After Mark Kirwans’s death the heirs sold the estate in 1827, in the midst of a severe economic crisis after the upheavals of the French Revolution and the First Empire. Camille Godard, a botanist and later the Mayor of Bordeaux, purchased the estate. His interest in the wines of Châteaux Kirwan was somewhat limited, and at the turn of the century it was sold at auction, and acquired by the négociant firm Schroder & Schyler.
Since 1950 the Schyler family has invested heavily in the châteaux and the vineyards. The latest major investments were undertaken in 2016 when a state-of-the-art new vinification and barrel cellar was constructed. Today the château is managed by the next generation Yann, Natalie and Sophie Schyler.
Barry Bros & Rudd: Château Kirwan
Château Kirwan is a 3ème Cru Classé Margaux property that has hit form in the last decade after years of producing wine not meriting its Cru Classé status. Kirwan takes its name from its Irish proprietor who was, rather unfortunately, guillotined in 1792.
Since 1925 Kirwan has been owned by the négociant firm, Schröder and Schÿler. The property is located in the commune of Cantenac and consists of a beautiful 18th century château and 35 hectares of vineyards.
The wine is typically a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot. The grapes are hand-harvested and then fermented in temperature-controlled, stainless-steel tanks. The wine is then matured in oak barriques (30-50% new) for 18 months. It is bottled after a light fining and filtration.
Michel Rolland has been consulting at Kirwan since the early 90s and the wines are now aromatically richer and have more grip and body, as well as displaying much more depth of fruit.
Arriving
In the Vineyard
In the Wine Cellar
Lunch
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