CellarNotes Home
Site Index
Wine News

Taste Progression
Food & Wine
-- Wine with Turkey
-- Wine with Beef
Holding Glasses
Chilling Wine
Serving Temperatures
Open Bottles
Storing Wine
Restaurant Service
Horizontal/Vertical Tasting
When to Decant

Auction Prices- Bordeaux
Auction Prices- California
Auction Prices- Port
Birth Year Wines
Bordeaux Blends
Color of Wine
Cooking Sherry
Corked Wines
Grape Varieties
Grape Statistics
How long to Age Wine
Measures/Conversions
Punts
Phylloxera
Sulphites
Vintage Chart
Vintage Date
Wine Barrels
Wine Bottle Shapes
Wine Bottle Sizes
Wine Colors
Wine Names

Wine by Country
Travel Tips
Focus on France
-- Medoc
-- St. Emilion
-- Pomerol
-- Graves
-- Sauternes

Glossary
Wine Books:
Great Wine Books
Magazines
On-line Merchants
Links for Wine Lovers

About Us

Location: Chateau Kirwan is located in the Margaux appellation of the Medoc. The Medoc is found on the left bank of the Gironde Estuary in the Bordeaux region of Southwest France.

Classification: 3rd Growth in the 1855 Classification of Medoc

Size: 35 hectares (about 86 acres) producing 12,000 to 15,000 cases of wine (including the second label). Unlike many chateaux that have expanded in size since the 1855 Classification, Kirwan has remained virtually unchanged in its holdings.

Vineyards: The vineyards are sand and gravel covered by a thin coat of clay. The plantings are 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot. The average age of the vines is 27 years. Vines are uprooted between 40 and 50 years of age and the soil is allowed to rest for at least 3 years before replanting.

History: The estate was originally name La Terre Noble de Lasalle and was owned by the La Salle family since the 1600s. In 1710, Berdard de La Salle sold the property to an English wine merchant, Sir Collingwood. Collingwood was the first to seriously develop vineyards on the estate. In 1751, an Irishman name Mark Kirwin married one of Sir Collingwood's daughters and became the owner of the property. The property was renamed as Chateau Kirwan and a focus was placed on restoring the chateau and elevating the quality of the wines.

As a result of the improved quality, recognition of Chateau Kirwan soon followed. Kirwan was accorded the status as the first of the 3rd growths in the Classification of the Medoc in 1855. In 1780, Thomas Jefferson visited Chateau Kirwan and gave it very positive comments in his journal.

Mark Kirwan lost the chateau in the French Revolution but was able to regain ownership soon after. He eventually died on the property in 1815. The Kirwan family sold the estate in 1858 to Camille Godard, a well-known figure in Bordeaux. In 1882, Godard bequethed Chateau Kirwan to the city of Bordeaux. During the period that the city owned the estate, the quality of the wines and the reputation of the chateau declined. In 1904, Chateau Kirwan was sold at auction to the Schyler family (of the Bordeaux merchants, Schroeder and Schyler) for the bargain price of 250,000 francs.

The Schyler family has maintained ownership of Chateau Kirwan and has allowed members of successive generation to manage it.

Winemaking: After harvesting by hand and manual sorting of the grapes to ensure quality, the fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. The wines are aged in French oak barrels. No more than 65% of the total production is sold under as Chateau Kirwan. The remainder is sold under the second label

Second Wine: Chateau Les Charmes de Kirwan