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Château Fleur Cardinale Saint-Émilion 2020 - Grand Cru Classé

Bordeaux

Red

Sold individually

Drink or Keep

Wooden crate

96/100

James Suckling

-

95/100

Terre de Vins

-

95/100

Vert de Vin

-

95/100

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

-

94/100

Decanter

-

94/100

Tastingbook - Markus Del Monego

complex
voltage
grand cru classé
rising value

"Very well constructed, deep and noble, with great taste! ~ Jean-Marc Quarin "

"Deep in color, the wine presents its aromas of chocolate, black cherry, plum, licorice, flowers and espresso with ease. Rich, full-bodied, lush and long, the layers of fruit express length, purity, balance and complexity, ending with a long, supple-textured finish bursting with fruit. As I wrote during the barrel tasting, this is the best Fleur Cardinale I've tasted in a few years." (Jeff Leve 2023) - Delivery in wooden cases possible for orders of 6 bottles of this wine (depending on country and shipping method selected).

Features

Estate

Château Fleur Cardinale

Cuvée

Grand Cru Classé

Vintage

2020

Designation

Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Region

Bordeaux

Grape varieties

77% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon

Terroirs

Clay-limestone

Viticulture

HVE 3 certified

Harvest

Manual in small crates

Winemaking

28-day vatting and pre-fermentation cold maceration

Breeding

12 to 14 months in new French oak barrels and amphorae

Alcohol content

14%

Tasting & pairing

Eye

Deep, brilliant purple with violet highlights

Nose

It reveals a multi-faceted fruit with great aromatic purity.

Mouth

Straightforward, dense attack, remarkably well-crafted mid-palate, revealing precise fruit expressing controlled aromatic power and a delicate touch. Incredibly high quality tannins give the wine great elegance. This fleshy, very fine material stretches on endlessly.

Serve

Decant at 17-18°C

Open

2 hours before

Drink from

2024

Drink before

2044

Production

100,000 bottles

Food and wine pairing

Food and wine pairing

Enjoy with grilled prime rib, flambéed woodcock or a platter of hard cheeses...

Château Fleur Cardinale

More information on Château Fleur Cardinale

Saint-Emilion

More information on Saint-Emilion

Expert opinion

Bettane & Desseauve

Bettane & Desseauve

3*Star rating (High-quality production, a benchmark in its sector)

About the domain :

Florence and Dominique Decoster, their son Ludovic and his wife Caroline have developed a passion for this 23-hectare hillside estate near Castillon. The wines have a rare generosity, even in average vintages, and have gained in tannin finesse. It's one of Saint-Émilion's best-sellers, and the new winery has already improved precision and purity. So much progress and effort. This cru is on its way to the top.

Decanter

Decanter

Wine rated (guide 2023) 94/100

About the wine:

Supple and utterly charming, with a juicy core, fine tannins and chalky edges. This wine is still quite reserved, not showing its full breadth, but I love the detail and precision of the elements. It's elegant and well-made, dark and ominous, concentrated and ripe, with licorice and clove notes that reveal oak, but there's a refinement in texture and overall weight. It's broad-shouldered but has a charming core. It's clean and confident. It's powerful, with layers of flavors and textures, but structured and very well presented. Impressive. 2024-2036

Guide Hachette des vins

Guide Hachette des vins

Domaine noté (guide 2022) Award-winning wines (The wines of this producer are regularly awarded by the guide)

About the domain :

In 2001, Dominique and Florence Decoster acquired Ch. Fleur Cardinale, a 23.5-hectare estate on one of the highest points of the AOC, to the east of Saint-Émilion. Their investments quickly bore fruit: in 2006, the steadily-growing estate joined the ranks of the "classés", a ranking confirmed in 2012. The estate expanded by 4 ha in 2011 with the purchase of the neighboring Croix Cardinale vineyard. Ludovic Decoster joined the estate in 2015 and holds the position of Operations Manager.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

Domaine rated (guide 2022) Winemaker of the vintage

About the domain :

The Decoster family (from Limoges porcelain, Haviland) has spared no effort to make this cru one of the appellation's best values. This beautiful property, located in the eastern part of Saint-Émilion, north of Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse, benefits from a generous clay terroir, requiring patience to reach a high level of maturity. The Fleur Cardinale vineyard is in the latest-growing sector of the Grands Crus Classés. Advised by Jean-Luc Thunevin, the estate produces wines with a modern, rich and flattering style, often bordering on over-ripeness. Enlarged by 8 ha with the 2012 classification, the estate now covers 23.5 ha. Of these 8 ha from La Croix Cardinale (a brand the Decoster family still produce), 4 ha go into the Fleur Cardinale grand vin.

James Suckling

James Suckling

Rated wine (guide 2022) 96/100

About the wine:

Attractive aromas of blueberries and blackberries with graphite, black licorice and crushed stones. Dark chocolate too. Full-bodied. The tannic structure is of impressive quality. It starts delicately and brightly, then continues to develop, gaining power throughout the palate. Deep and dense, with a velvety core of black fruit. Really long, taut and persistent. 77% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. To be enjoyed after 2026.

Terre de Vins

Terre de Vins

Rated wine (guide 2021 ) 95/100

About the wine:

Round and opulent, with good density articulated around juicy black fruit, Fleur Cardinale stands out for its tannic structure, combined with obvious uprightness. At this stage, the wine's texture is a little stricter than usual. This 2020 gains in tension what it gives up in sensuality.

Vert de Vin

Vert de Vin

Rated wine (guide 2021) 95/100 (Jonathan Choukroun Chicheportiche)

About the wine:

The nose is aromatic, offering power, fine grain, power (under control), complexity and intensity. There are notes of pulpy wild blackcurrant, wild blackberry and, more lightly, small berries, combined with hints of violet, lily, small red fruit (strawberry, cherry), plum blossom, spice, graphite, discreet hints of tobacco and a subtle hint of pepper (in the background). On the palate, the wine is fruity, precise, racy and offers juiciness, tension, airy power / mastered power, a certain purity of fruit, minerality, lovely definition of fruit as well as juicy/fresh/sparkling fruit, precision, purity and greediness. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of bright blackcurrant, violet plum and, more lightly, crushed wild blackberry, combined with hints of raspberry, wild berries, violet, plum blossom and hints of tonka bean, cardamom, sweet blond tobacco and discreet Bourbon vanilla bean. Good length. The tannins are precise, well-structured and mellow.

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

The Wine Cellar Insider - Jeff Leve

Wine rated (guide 2023) 95/100

About the wine:

Deep in color, the wine effortlessly displays aromas of chocolate, black cherry, plum, licorice, flowers and espresso. Rich, full-bodied, lush and long, the layers of fruit express length, purity, balance and complexity, ending with a long, supple-textured finish bursting with fruit. As I wrote during the barrel tasting, this is the best Fleur Cardinale I've tasted in recent years. Drink between 2024 and 2045.

Tastingbook - Markus Del Monego

Tastingbook - Markus Del Monego

Wine rated (guide 2021) 94/100

About the wine:

Dark purple color with violet highlights and black core. Expressive nose with aromas reminiscent of blackberries, fresh plums, juicy black cherries, with floral notes and sweet spices in the background. Subtle oak and hints of dark chocolate. On the palate, the wine is juicy, with ripe fruit, plums and dark berries, ripe tannins, a roasted aroma and elegant vanilla. A complex, rich wine with excellent length and freshness.

Customer reviews

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