Chateau Kirwan Margaux 2016

Château Kirwan is a Troisième Grand Cru Classé estate in the commune of Cantenac, in the heart of the Margaux appellation — one of the Medoc's most celebrated and perfumed wine regions, renowned for producing Cabernet Sauvignon of extraordinary elegance, finesse, and aromatic complexity. The estate has a history stretching back to the 18th century, and under the ownership of the Schyler family has undergone a remarkable renaissance over the past two decades, with significant investment in both vineyard and cellar elevating the wines to a level of quality that consistently punches above its classification. Kirwan's vineyards, planted on the classic Margaux gravel and sand soils, produce wines of the silky, perfumed elegance that is the hallmark of the appellation.

The 2016 Château Kirwan Margaux is from one of Bordeaux's most celebrated vintages of the modern era — a year of near-perfect conditions across the Medoc that produced wines of exceptional concentration, balance, and longevity. A Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, aged in French oak barriques, the wine is a classic expression of Margaux at its finest. Deep ruby with a violet rim, the nose is hauntingly beautiful: cassis, dark plum, and violet layered with cedar, graphite, and a whisper of tobacco and dried herbs. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and refined, with the hallmark silky tannins of the appellation, a concentrated mid-palate, and a finish of extraordinary length and elegance.

The Château Kirwan Margaux 2016 is a cellar candidate of genuine quality — drinking magnificently now alongside roasted lamb, duck confit, or a classic Bordelaise beef preparation, and built to evolve gracefully for 20 years or more.