Château Kirwan, Margaux

"Chateau Kirwan is of a second quality after Chateau Margaux, Chateau Latour, Haut-Brion and Chateau Lafite" (Thomas Jefferson, 1787)

When the daughter of  La Terre Noble de la Salle's owner, Sir John Collingwood, married Mark Kirwan, an Irishman, the property took on a new name. Kirwan raised the stakes and his vineyard was one of many to be visited by wine enthusiast and future US President Thomas Jefferson.

The history of all Bordeaux chateaux of note always include at least two difficult periods; the French Revolution of the late 18th Century, and the economic depression of the early 20th Century (occasionally with a little Phylloxera as well, just trouble to liven things up). Kirwan is no exception. In 1789, at the outset of the French Revolution, the estate was seized, although Kirwan escaped unharmed. He retook possession under Napoleon and set about expanding it, the only major change in the vineyard area in the property's history.

Mark Kirwan died in 1815; forty years later his efforts were rewarded with classification as a third growth in 1855. The property subsequently came into the hands of Camille Godard, a botanist who went on to become Mayor of Bordeaux, and in 1882 he bequeathed his fortune to the city. At the turn of the century Kirwan was auctioned, the purchasers being the négociant firm Schroder & Schyler, owners to this day.

However, it was not until 1950 that Chateau Kirwan showed any signs of a turnaround. The renaissance was led by the next generation of the Schyler family, Jean-Henri. What land that was fallow - or even planted for the production of hay - was replanted. He restructured the vineyards, and in the next decade introduced chateau-bottling. The wines had a commercial outlet through Schroder & Schyler's businesses across Europe, and Jean-Henri sought new contacts in North America to ensure continued commercial success.

Since 1991 Michel Rolland has consulted at Kirwan, and there is a certain suggestion of markedly improved quality over the most recent vintages. With commercial success comes the possibility of fresh investment, and there has been no shortage of this in recent years, with a restoration of the chateau and a new barrel cellar being just two of the activities. The estate is still home to Jean-Henri but it is Yann, Natalie and Sophie Schyler who now run the show at Chateau Kirwan.