Critic Notes
Well-extracted black summer fruits, quite robust structure, but Margaux expression dominates with good fruit and complexity. Drink 2015-2025. Decanter.com
Score: 17-/20Decanter
This is a full bodied wine with attractive aromatics of violets, cedar, spices and blackberries. The flavours are ripe and generous and the finish fairly long. The generous tannins are very well handled. Will easily age for 10+ years. AsianPalate.com
Score: 90-91/100Jeannie Cho Lee MW
Sweet toasty oak but equally sweet rich dark fruit on the nose. Spicy, a touch exotic. Then more stern on the palate, upright, structured but with a certain harmony. Fresh, fragrant on the mid palate, and finishes attractively dry. Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Score: 16.5-/20Jancis Robinson
From 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 9% Petit Verdot, reaching 13.4% alcohol, the wine will see aging in 45% new oak. Coffee, black cherry, and licorice with medium body and fresh, ripe cherry, coffee and bitter chocolate in the finish. theWineCellarInsider.com
Score: 89-90/100Jeff Leve
Plenty of dark berries and fresh ceps on the nose and palate. Full to medium body with polished tannins and an attractive finish. Well-done. Reserved style of Kirwan. jamessuckling.com
Score: 89-90/100James Suckling
The dense ruby/purple-colored, chunky, rich, slightly masculine 2011 Kirwan is medium-bodied and fleshy. It reveals excellent extraction of fruit and flavor, sweet, but noticeable tannins and a nicely textured mouthfeel as well as finish. While it may not be an archetypical Margaux, it is impressively endowed. Still young, it should hit its prime in 5-6 years and have 15-20 years of upside ahead of it. Apr 2014, www.robertparker.com
Score: 89-/100Robert Parker
Lighter-bodied, with a sandalwood edge and more modest plum skin, cherry and pomegranate notes. James Molesworth, WineSpectator.com
Score: 86-89/100Wine Spectator
A bit chunky and woody at the moment...could really do with a lick of polish. Hopefully another year in barrel will help lick this rustic beast into shape.
Score: 15-/20FINE+RARE
A blend 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 9% Petit Verdot, the Kirwan appears more disjointed on the nose compared to its peers and it does not appear to have achieved the same level of ripeness. The palate is medium-bodied with dusky tannins on the entry. It is a little simple and chunky, rather stumbling towards the finish. I hope there is more to offer in bottle. Tasted April 2012. Neal Martin, eRobertParker.com
Score: 84-86/100Neal Martin
