Kirwan 2010

Dense purple and weighty, Kirwan 2010 is still muscular yet relatively closed. In great contrast to 2000, this 2010 is tangy and elegant; lilac, purple flowers, mineral, red currant, and cherry notes mingle together and carry through the focused finish. Long; bodied; tensioned. 2010 is blend with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot. Farr mentioned that the Boissenots had

consulted here since 2007 (replacing Michel Rolland), and the wine is now less new-oak, less late-picked and less jammy in style. Kirwan is now a wine of classic Margaux elegance. Good purity and structure, well-rounded tannins, attractive red fruit. Still, it will need some time to open.

The scores average from humble 91 to 92+, but the prices are always good for the quality.

RP92+.As always, this estate produced a blockbuster style of Margaux in 2010, with the more masculine side of the appellation providing density, power, a big body, loads of fruit, extract and richness. This wine is powerful and concentrated but by no means excessively extracted. Dense purple, muscular, deep and impressive, it is a wine that allows for no compromise among wine lovers. So forget it for 6-10 years and drink it over the following 20-40 years. Keep in mind that in the 19th century, Kirwan was making some of the longest-lived wines of Margaux, so it is nothing new to see this property produce big, blockbuster reds that require considerable patience from their prospective purchasers.