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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.5 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 210 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by BernieMSY on 4/14/2024 & rated 93 points: Nice spell of sweet-edged Black fruit and savory flavors. The tannins have resolved and are well integrated into the overall mix. This one has several good years of drinking ahead of it, but it is in a good place right now for near-term consumption. (530 views) | | | Tasted by Lord Rodney on 3/25/2024 & rated 87 points: It’s braking up - this wine seems to continue it’s downward spiral. The plums keep turning into prunes and dried fruits. The palate is the worst though. Drying dark berries and dusty chocolate- even a little harsh. Think this wine was just too extracted and couldn’t handle it. the alcohol is seriously showing up - drink up. This was my 5th bottle out of 6. (917 views) | | | Tasted by BernieMSY on 1/14/2024 & rated 93 points: The wine was decanted for two hours prior to tasting.
Deep, deep magenta color.
Integrated dark fruit, with plenty of grippy tannins still present. An incredibly long finish, despite the advanced age of this wine. This one has many many many years of life ahead. It’s delicious now, and continued to develop and improve. I give it at least another 10-15 years of remaining life. (1561 views) | | | Tasted by VinDeVie_1 on 11/17/2023 flawed bottle: I am not 100% sure this was flawed, 1st taste of this, or if a very strong licorice, coffee, and tobacco note on the nose was tricking me into sensing some madeirization. If this was as good as this wine gets I can't complain but if there was a bit of heat damage an undamaged bottle would be fabulous. 91 (1734 views) | | | Tasted by jmoon on 11/3/2023 & rated 92 points: Lost some of the energy of youth as expected. A little hot. Some Good dark fruit, lacks precision or depth. (1896 views) | | | Tasted by hsacks on 10/10/2023 & rated 93 points: Similar to the 5/29/21 bottle. (1770 views) | | | Tasted by JimHow on 5/5/2023 & rated 87 points: 2010 Fleur Cardinale: This is a very unexciting wine. The good: The color is a rich deep ruby, quite beautiful. The nose is modest but pleasant. The bad: This is flabby, boring, un-thrilling. No acidity. Hard to imagine how anyone would think this will improve with another five or ten years of aging. Yuck. This is nothing like the crazy 16% Tropling Mondot that Jacques and Jill brought to my house a couple summers ago, which was crazy and alcoholic, but certainly not flabby, it was racy and voluptuous, over the top. This Fleur Cardinale was certainly not sensuous or sexy. It was droopy, flabby, a relic of a Parkerized era that is hopefully behind us. An alcoholic, Parkerized mess. Australian-like. Rating: 87 points.
JimHow
www.bordeauxwineenthusiasts.com (3486 views) | | | Tasted by kfrench150 on 3/11/2023 & rated 96 points: Deep mulberry purple in colour. Plush and plump nose of smoked blue and black fruits, camphor, licorice, bacon fat, iris, spice and plums. Lucious! Slow viscous legs. Full bodied, huge sweet ripe dark fruit extract, smooth yet grippy tannins, hidden alcohol and perfectly balanced acidity. Not a hollow spot to be seen anywhere. Hedonistic flavours of pure deep dark black and blue fruits (black currant and blackberry), so soft and ripe, cedar, graphite, ink, camphor, charred oak and minerals on the palate. Super long, mouth-coating, dry, tangy grippy finish. Black tongue stuff! So good!! (2731 views) | | | Tasted by mike410 on 2/22/2023 & rated 96 points: This is one great wine from a great vintage. This is possibly the best Fleur Cardinale that I ever tasted. This should be great for the next 5-7. It doesn't get much better than this. (2757 views) | | | Tasted by redz on 2/12/2023 & rated 91 points: Fairly open after 2 hrs decant. Enjoyable, but 2010's continue to underwhelm. Maybe still too early. (2586 views) | | | Tasted by Chrysostomus on 2/7/2023 & rated 91 points: Flowers on the nose, pepper. Good structure, a little sweetness on the palate. Red fruits. A bit one-dimensional - at the beginning of its drinking window. Not much fruit and not much tertiary aromas. Seems to be in a transition phase. Good potential, 91 pts now. No hurry! (2620 views) | | | Tasted by Nbkat8 on 11/5/2022 & rated 90 points: Blackberry, barnyard and hints of menthol. Somewhat tart finish. Not hitting its stride yet to me. (2447 views) | | | Tasted by HOS on 10/5/2022 & rated 94 points: PnP. 12 years in and this is now more fruit forward then previous bottles. Currant and black cherry with savory notes and a nice acidic backbone. Tannins well integrated, smooth finish. A long life ahead (2316 views) | | | Tasted by swade on 9/26/2022 & rated 88 points: Black currants all day. I bought several bottles of this wine in some of what should be better vintages like 2005, 2009 and 2010. I have not been charmed yet and keep hoping more time will help. I have actually kind of come to dread opening them because I know what I'll get. A certain style for sure and they have been invariably seemingly extracted and tight. I'm not sold on the terroir either. I would say this has been the best vintage, but this still feels like it could open up a bit with more time. This was strict to be sure. Now I'm just feeling grumpy about it. My score is for me and not docked for style, rather lack of complexity. 88 (2347 views) | | | Tasted by Thief on 6/5/2022 & rated 94 points: Bought as futures on release and stored in temperature controlled cellar. Enjoyed over several hours with lamb tagine. Concentrated inky purple. Nose of blue fruits and a little earth. Really opens on the palate with deep blueberry, plum, and earthy tones like mushrooms and a hint of forrest after a spring rain. Good depth and concentration with acidity and tannins in balance. Great price to quality ratio. Drink or hold but this is definitely now in its drinking window. (3058 views) | | | Tasted by jusuf on 4/27/2022 & rated 94 points: Drank this wine two dozen times at least since 2016. When it was young it was to me outbursting due to unlimited energy. With age it lost this massive body and this hard hitting nose. Still very pleasing but far off where it started. (1920 views) | | | Tasted by wythes on 3/10/2022 & rated 92 points: PnP and really enjoyed it. 12 years in and I think this wine is really hitting its stride. (3137 views) | | | Tasted by HOS on 1/19/2022 & rated 94 points: PnP. This the 3rd bottle of a case bought upon release and stored in a temp controlled wine cellar. Fully open and showing blueberry, mushroom, herbs. Medium bodied, long finish with some nice acidity. (3431 views) | | | Tasted by JGinMO on 1/16/2022 & rated 92 points: Needed every bit of 2 hrs air to start showing. But lovely balance from there of fruit and secondary flavors. Worth holding for a few years yet. (3023 views) | | | Tasted by maxima on 1/5/2022 & rated 90 points: En carafe pour un bon 2 heures, il était un brin fermé
à l'ouverture. Nez sur la terre, les fruits rouge et
le café. En bouche, c'est dense et un peu animal.
Cerises, cassis, herbes, graphite et menthol
se succèdent. Les tannins sont charnus et
la finale assez longue montre un peu d'élevage.
Prometteur mais à revoir! (3725 views) | | | Tasted by HOS on 12/27/2021 & rated 94 points: Decanted and then started drinking. This is everything we look for in a mid level Bordeaux. Mushroom, herbs, currant on the palate. Medium bodied, good finish. A pleasure to drink. Drink or hold. (2763 views) | | | Tasted by Zinlady on 12/25/2021 & rated 94 points: This was delicious with tenderloin Dark, tar notes
Balanced. Good finish. Great tonight. (2319 views) | | | Tasted by BernieMSY on 11/24/2021 & rated 94 points: Dark, dark color; violet nose. Delicious and integrated. Dark fruit, umami and light leather (2560 views) | | | Tasted by Snowryeder on 10/9/2021 & rated 94 points: Much better than when I tasted almost 2 years ago, and got better after 2 hours. Nice dark/red fruit balance and acidity. Chocolate, tobacco and vanilla. Tannins are integrated, several more years ... (2659 views) | | | Tasted by Hamersly on 8/29/2021 & rated 94 points: Decanted for an hour. Dense, dark and delicious. Combines old world class with new world power; a bit more complexity would push it into 95+ territory. Outstanding QPR. (2944 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Jane Anson
Decanter, Château Fleur Cardinale vertical (10/1/2019)
(Château Fleur Cardinale, St-Émilion, Bordeaux, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Ian D'Agata
Vinous, May/June 2011, IWC Issue #156
(Chateau Fleur Cardinale Saint Emilion) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (4/4/2011)
(Ch Fleur Cardinale St-Émilion Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (11/11/2013)
(Château Fleur Cardinale) Nearly opaque ruby color; baked berry, black currant nose; rich, baked berry, ripe black currant, berry syrup palate; medium finish (70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon; 15% alcohol) 90 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Decanter and Vinous and JancisRobinson.com and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Château Fleur Cardinale Producer website - Read more about Chateau Fleur Cardinale
Everything begins with an idea…
An idea which occurs one night, just as you are falling asleep. You think better of it, "No, let’s be realistic …" But after a few days the idea is still there, insistent. So, you drop hints about it, in a quiet voice. Around you, it is met with smiles : it is in fact quite a daring idea. One day you want to believe in it and so you put it into action.
At the beginning of Château Fleur Cardinale was Florence Decoster, the current owner. Her idea saw the light of day in 2000. At that time, her husband Dominique had just sold his luxury Haviland Limoges porcelain company. "Take over a vineyard ?" Dominique was puzzled. But the idea grew. The couple are both lovers of nature and fine dining and they ended up finding the idea quite attractive
They visited the Château Fleur Cardinale vineyard, set on a limestone plateau, a few kilometres from Saint- Émilion. They fell under the spell of the place and its natural environment and they acquired the estate in May 2001.
The vineyard extends over 23.5 hectares.
The vines are mainly merlot (76%) then 20% cabernet sauvignon and 4% cabernet franc.
With it’s great value for money, and showing great consistancy in it’s quality, Château Fleur Cardinale was promoted to "Saint-Emilion Grand cru classé" in 2006.
In 2012, the estate’s rank was confirmed.
The same year, their daughter-in-law Caroline decided to join the adventure. A graduate of the KEDGE Wine and Spirits Management Masters programme with a university diploma in wine tasting in 2013, she is now the estate’s Sales and Marketing Director.
In 2015, Ludovic joined the team after spending nearly ten years working for the SOBOVI trading house, as Sales Manager and then Export Sales Director. Today, Ludovic is the Estate Manager and is responsible for carrying on the remarkable work initiated by his parents.
Château Fleur CardinaleChâteau Fleur Cardinale produces a wine for laying down which is fresh with fine and elegant tannins.
This Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé gets its character from the vines which are very carefully cultivated and rigorously managed which means the grapes are harvested when they are perfectly ripe and healthy.
"Fleur Cardinale (...) has been ranked among the 100 best Bordeaux wines since its very first vintage"
Jean-Luc THUNEVIN - Château Valandraud
« The exceptional price-quality ratio of this vintage makes it one of today’s most appreciated and well recognised crus classés "
Jean-Philippe FORT - Laboratoire Michel Rolland
"Fleur Cardinale wines have a unique mineral EXPRESSION . At Fleur Cardinale they make wines with a good body and a particular freshness."
Bob AVARGUES – Production ManagerRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanLibournais Libournais (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux) - Read more about St. Emilion and its wines - Read more about Pomerol and its wines
Saint Emilion Grat Classified Growth, Classified Growths, Grands Crus Classes, GCC
In 1954, while the "Graves" growths had just published their own classification, the wine syndicate of Saint-Emilion, composed by wine growers, brokers and wine traders with the approval of the INAO - Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (A.O.C), decided to work on a classification for the wines of Saint Emilion. Initially, four grades were defined. These were reduced to two - First Great Classified Growth (A and B) and Great Classified Growth - in 1984.
As of Medoc's 1855 historical grading, the Saint-Emilion Great Classified Growth classification is not only based on qualitative criteria by tasting the wines on a ten years period previous to the assessment, but also on commercial considerations such as:
- sales price levels
- national and international commercial distribution
- the estate's reputation on the market
Properties who don't manage to join the club of about sixty Classified Growths are given the denomination of Great Growth ("Grand Cru"), while the remaining wineries of the A.O.C are simply reported as "Saint-Emilion". It is to be noted that the owners must officially apply to appear in the official classification. Thus for example the famous Chateau Tertre-Roteboeuf, whose quality and reputation would easily justify to be listed among the First Great Classified Growths, does not appear here by the will of its owner, François Mitjaville.
The Saint-Emilion Great Growth classification was revised in 1969, 1985, 1996 and 2006. The only two guaranteed vintage (A.O.C) who can apply to the classification are the "Saint-Emilion Grand Cru" and "Saint-Emilion" areas.
By grading 61 properties, the 2006 revision confirmed many growths from the former classification, but also caused a number of surprises and a few inevitable disappointments. Many observers thought that the impressive progression of Perse's Chateau Pavie since 1998 would be rewarded by an upgrade into the First Great Classified Growths (A) category, but finally such was not the case.
Among the estates promoted to the First Great Classified Growths B category are Chateau Troplong-Mondot and Pavie-Macquin, whose efforts made since the Nineties fully justify their new grade. It should be noted that no First Great Classified Growth was relegated to the lower Great Classified Growth class.
Promoted growths from the status of Great Growth ("Grand Cru") to Great Classified Growth ("Grand Cru Classe") are: Chateaux Bellefont-Belcier, Destieux, Fleur Cardinale, Grand Corbin, Grand Corbin-Despagne and Monbousquet.
The demoted growths from the status of Great Classified Growth to Great Growth are: Chateaux Bellevue, Cadet Bon, Faurie de Souchard, Guadet Saint-Julien, La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Belivier), La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Moueix), Lamarzelle, Petite Faurie de Soutard, Tertre Daugay, Villemaurine and Yon-Figeac. If the recent samples of some of the above mentioned properties may justify their current downgrade, there are great chances that estates like Bellevue, Tertre Daugay or Yon-Figeac will be upgraded to their previous rankings by the next revision in 2016 as the progresses noted after 2000, but not entering in the range of vintages (1993 - 2002) appointed for the criteria of selection for the 2006 classification, are noticable.
The two following estates have completely disappeared from the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classification: Curé-Bon-la-Madeleine (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Canon) and La Clusière (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Pavie).
Finally, no estate considered as "garagiste" has integrated the classification. Valandraud, Mondotte, Le Dome, Bellevue-Mondotte or Magrez-Fombrauge have, for the least, the potential to be ranked as Great Classified Growths. In sight of the very fine quality reached by the above mentioned estates in recent vintages as well as all the innovative wine making methods used by the "garagistes", it remains to be seen whether the authorities will dare to cross the line in 2016..?St. Émilion Grand Cru Les Vins de St. Émilion (Syndicate Vitocole de Saint-Emilion) – Read about St. Emilion
Vins de Bordeaux:
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Soil: Sandy soils with alluvial gravel deposits
Surface Area: 4,160 ha |
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