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The original spirit of the estate is a subtle alchemy that each successor has successfully preserved.
The estate takes its name from an Irishman named Mark Kirwan, a visionary heir who came from a long line of merchants and settled in Bordeaux in the mid-18 th century. Originating from Galway, a trading port in the west of Ireland, the Kirwans figured among the famous so-called “wine geese” who migrated to France’s vineyards. It was Mark Kirwan who changed the estate’s name from Domaine de Lassalle to Château Kirwan and subsequently built up the reputation of the growth’s wines. The estate’s name was to become synonymous with excellence, a quality which has been enhanced over the centuries.
CUSTODIANS OF TIME
As custodians of passing time, successive owners have succeeded in preserving the soul of Kirwan, while injecting new life into the estate.
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THE ESTATE’S SOUL AND ITS PRECIOUS SAVOIR-FAIRE HAVE BEEN PASSED DOWN AND LIVE ON TODAY.
Mark Kirwan laid the foundations which successive owners have preserved and built on.
The historical trajectory of Kirwan took a significant upward turn in 1855 when it was ranked top of the Médoc 3rd Classified Growths. It was also the year in which Camille Godard, an emblematic figure in the history of the city of Bordeaux, made his mark at Kirwan. A keen botanist, lover of beautiful stone buildings and the creator of Bordeaux’s Parc Bordelais, he transformed the Kirwan estate, restoring the château building and designing its majestic grounds. He endowed the estate with a charm that it has retained to this day.
In 1926, Château Kirwan passed into the hands of the Schÿler family. Having settled in Bordeaux in 1739, they continue today to run one of the oldest family-owned négociant houses. In 1902, Armand Schÿler, a member of the family’s 5 th generation, entered into a “subscription” agreement to buy future Kirwan grape harvests. A decade later he completed the acquisition of the estate.
The family were the driving force behind Kirwan’s revival and undertook long-term commitments to bring to light the special character of the estate and its superb potential. Kirwan thus acquired a new lease of life, which included a vineyard replanting programme begun in the 1960s by Jean-Henri Schÿler, one of the 7 th generation.
Kirwan has continued to be family-managed, generation after generation. This commitment to the long-term, the thread of which can be traced back throughout history, strengthens our pursuit of excellence, vintage after vintage.
