Producer Article
Château Fleur Cardinale
Last edited on 5/1/2021 by Caroline Decoster
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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.
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.