Freddy R. Troya

9.1

Château Kirwan 2023 – Margaux, Grand Cru Classé. BDX France 🇫🇷

Overview
A poised and expressive Margaux showing immediate charm while clearly structured for further evolution, delivering finesse, persistence, and a notably elongated finish compared to its peers in the flight.

Aromas & Flavors
Red cherry, wild strawberry, ripe raspberry, crushed rose petal, subtle vanilla, sweet spice, light cedar, gentle graphite undertones.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, excellent mid-palate energy, lifted acidity, and a long, persistent, and increasingly intense finish that carries well beyond the sip.

Food Pairings
Duck confit, herb-roasted chicken, veal chop with mushroom jus, lamb loin, aged Comté.

Verdict
Head-to-head with Château Prieuré-Lichine in overall quality, but Kirwan separates itself on finish length and persistence. Already surprisingly enjoyable today while still clearly benefiting from additional bottle age.

🍷 Personal Pick
The surprise overachiever of the Margaux flight, already fun now, but patience will unlock its real podium potential. — 5 months ago

April Meadows

9.2

Has a nice bite to it that’s very pleasant in the cold. — 7 months ago

Jason Keefer

9.2

Peppery and stemmy, rhubarb and blackberry! Sensory stuff! — 9 months ago

with Natasha

Mattias Söderberg

9.4

Magnificent Cab Syrah! Love K Vintners — a year ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.3

Another excellent vintage of this Washington State Tempranillo! Deep ruby core with a garnet rim. Intense aromas of black raspberry, dried herbs, baking spices and graphite . Black raspberry/cherry fruit on the palate with notes of beef jerky, orange zest, baking spices and dried herbs. Long and earthy finish. Medium-plus body and quite fruit forward and savory. Nicely concentrated with fine grained tannins. This bottle was perfectly aged. — 2 years ago

Andrew Schirmer

8.9

Soft fruit, some bacon, smoked meat, & herbs. Not very complex. Lovely BBQ wine. Unlike many WA syrah, not an alcoholic fruit bomb. However, terrible QPR for the level of vinous complexity on offer. — 4 years ago

with Alsu

Joan Ziegler

9.2

Very smooth welcome addition to our 2025 Christmas party! What a wonderful gift that all enjoyed. Very smooth. Excellent wine.! thank you Paul. — 6 months ago

Lavanya Manohar

9.0

TEL Hershey — 6 months ago

Alvaro Bustillos

9.8

Byo dinner john k — 7 months ago

Jake Hajer

9.2

Interesting nose. Sun-dried tomato, peppermint. Blood and blackberries. — 10 months ago

Brad Kalish

9.3

W/ryan. Pnp — a year ago

Tyler Felous

9.2

Nose is huge right off the bat. Tannic on open, really started showing at the 4hr mark. Enjoyed this, but nothing so notable to make me want to buy again. — 2 years ago

Mark

9.0

Wendy says delightful. — 4 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.1

Full, Bold and plush. Made from Walla Walla grapes. Ripe fruit (plums and black cherry) aromas and flavors. Hints of black pepper, black olives and baking spices. Smooth tannins. Touch of blueberry on the finish. Fruit forward but not over the top. Just a bit hot out of the bottle so decant this one a bit. — 5 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.2

Nice easy drinking Syrah. Distinct earthy inky notes only Charles Smith can reflect in his wines. Learned it perfectly pairs with Kerrygold Dubliner cheese 👍👍👍 — 6 months ago

with Tammy

Taylor Jukes

9.1

Almost dessert-like with a rich, sweet, pear and honey finish. — 7 months ago

Angelo Casagrande

9.1

Floral, rather oily texture that explodes with peach, a saline/ citrus, honey and flowers. Quite a spicy element to this as well. For @ $ 20, this is excellent. — 9 months ago

Jason Keefer

9.3

Lush and velvety with dark berries and herbs, just really keeps your tongue active picking out all the different layers. Fantastic and can lay down for a bother 10 years no issue! — a year ago

Andrew Belzer

9.0

Floral, green apple, toasted biscuits. Cremant’s will almost always be better than any Champagne you’ll pick off the shelf and at a fraction of the price! — a year ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.3

Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (80%) and Syrah (20%). Walla Walla (Rocks District) fruit. Dark purple color with a ruby rim. Lovely aromas of dried cherries, black plums, Earl Grey tea, iron, cardamom and black pepper. Same fruits on the pallet along with hints of black currant, black olives and that ever present touch of black pepper. Just a hint of mint on the finish. The Syrah really shines through on this one. Mouth drying (but smooth) tannins. Soft texture with a nice balance of acidity and alcohol. Aging beautifully! Revisited in March 2023. Still outstanding! Revisited again in October 2025. Savory notes are more prevalent (fruit more in the background) but still quite good. — 3 years ago