Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 2007 Bordeaux tasting. I have always admired the 2007 Kirwan, one of the better Margaux wines of the vintage. Here, it has a clean and pure bouquet, not complex but demonstrating good vigor: wild strawberry, hot gravel and sous-bois notes complemented by cigar box after time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, moderate depth, a little more feminine than its peers with cracked black pepper towards the finish. Tasted March 2015.

This big, robust, exuberant offering is excessively extracted with relatively hard, astringent tannins. Nevertheless, there is lots of flavor, and the wine is full, rich, and built for longer term cellaring than most 2007s. It requires 3-4 years for everything to come into balance ... hopefully.

Fruity and attractive, with mineral and berry character. Medium body, fine tannins and a clean finish. Score range: 86-89 -JS

This is a solid, finely perfumed wine, the tannins giving concentration and structure. There is some severity as well, a sign that it is still settling into the bottle. But with its bitter chocolate character and tight texture, it should age well.——R.V.(4/1/2010)—— 91