Château Kirwan - Domaine Schröder & Schÿler

The History of Kirwan Castle

The origins of Chateau Kirwan are rooted in the 18th century with the union in 1760 of an Irish merchant, Mark Kirwan, and the daughter of Sir John Collingwood (one of the first merchants of Bordeaux). In 1855, the château was classified as the first of the 3rd growths of the Médoc and the 16th great wine of Bordeaux. On this occasion, the château changed ownership and passed into the hands of the Godard family.

The modern history of Château Kirwan began in 1925 when the Schÿler family acquired the estate. The family had been established for four generations in Bordeaux as merchants under the name "Schröder & Schÿler". Familiar with the wines of Bordeaux, the family's winegrowing history was to be anchored, from generation to generation, in the desire to make the estate shine even more.

Between 1955 and 1967, Jean-Henri Schÿler set about restructuring the vineyard by improving the land, redesigning the drainage system and replanting wherever necessary. The creation of the Margaux AOC in 1954 gave the château even more new life.

The 8th generation of the family is now at the helm of the château, continuing the family legacy, but also anchoring the estate in modernity with the installation of a new winery in 2017.

Know-how and terroir

Who says transmission of a heritage says transmission of a know-how. A know-how that is anchored first in the vineyard and the work of the land, then in the cellar, and finally in the maturing of the wines.

The vineyard of Château Kirwan is located on the heights of the Cantenac plateau, right in the Margaux AOC. The soils are a mixture of gravel and clay on which lie 37 hectares of vines.

On these 35 plots, we find Merlot on the clay with laminites to the west of the estate, and Cabernet Sauvignon on the gravels, closer to the château. Thus, we find in the great wines of the domain the fleshy and balanced roundness of Merlot as well as the velvety tannins of Cabernet Sauvignon.

The wines of the domain

The wines of Chateau Kirwan are expressive and complex wines, fashioned mostly from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon (Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot also enter in the minority in the composition of the wines), which express all the terroir of the Bordeaux left bank.

The Château Kirwan cuvée is aged in oak barrels for 18 months, with half the barrels renewed each year. A Grand Cru Classé, its nose is powerful and elegant, with bright fruit. Its tannins are noble and melted, with a mouth on red and black fruits. The material is present, close to velvet and with woody notes.

The Les Charmes de Kirwan, the château's second wine, offers a more floral and spicy nose. However, it retains its fruitiness and finesse. Its color is dark, almost black. In the mouth, it offers a smoothness and a silky volume. Fruity and woody, this wine offers a nice tannic structure, long and supple with a spicy finish.