The heritage
The history of Château Kirwan is one of lineage and transmission. The estate has been built up from generation to generation since the 18th century, beginning as often is the case with a marriage, that in 1760 of an Irish shopkeeper, Mark Kirwan and the daughter of Sir John Collingwood, “Lord of Lasalle ”, an English merchant, who was one of the first Bordeaux négociants.
The bridegroom gave his name to the vineyard he created by adding the Ganet estate to the Lasalle property, both of which were located close to Cantenac village. Under his management, the property flourished and the wine from “Quirouen” was classified as a “second rank grand cru” in Thomas Jefferson’s work on Bordeaux wines, written at the time he was United States Ambassador to France.
1855 was a turning point in the history of the chateau. It was classified as the leading Third Growth of the Medoc and the 16th greatest Bordeaux wine. Kirwan changed hands and became the property of the Godard family. Camille Godard, when he was Mayor of Bordeaux, designed the estate’s park, which from that time on has adorned the property.
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