A rich and smoothly textured wine, this is juicy with black currant fruits and ripe tannins. It has weight and plenty of dense fruit flavors along with tannins that have a fine potential for softening.
Reviews:
- Wine Advocate: The 2019 Fleur Cardinale derives from a late-ripening site on the north-facing side of Saint-Émilion’s limestone plateau. Revealing aromas of jammy cherries, spices, dark chocolate and mocha, it’s full-bodied, broad and velvety, with powdery tannins and a generous core of lively fruit, concluding with a chalky finish. This is a fleshy, front-loaded wine in a contemporary style that will please consumers who favor power and richness, but which will leave purists wondering if less might be more. Best after 2021.
- James Suckling: This is a wine that has a broad brush of tannins that give energy and subtle texture to the palate. Beautiful blue fruit and terracotta. Really fine-grained tannins. Beautiful, sweet fruit at the finish. One of the best I have had from here. Really want to drink it.
Producer Information
Château Fleur Cardinale is a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé that has been owned by Florence and Dominique Decoster since 2001. The property was promoted to the rank of Grand Cru Classé in 2006, retaining it in 2012. The vineyards extend for 23.5hectares (58 acres) across Saint-Émilion and are planted on soils of clay and limestone. Merlot dominates here and is planted alongside smaller plots of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The estate has the Engagé RSE certification for social responsibility. It has also been implementing the Bordeaux Wines Environmental Management System (based on ISO 14001) since 2013. This addresses energy and water consumption, waste sorting and effluent, recycling, cultivation, pest management and employee health and safety. No chemical weedkillers or insecticides are used. Vines are instead tilled mechanically, and cover crops are used to reduce erosion and avoid soil compaction. No inorganic fertilizers have been used since 2017. Disease controls include talc-based sprays to combat botrytis in wet years.
