| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Fleur Cardinale
A good value among over-achieving St.-Emilion estates is La Fleur Cardinale's 2009. Composed of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, some of the abrasive tannins noticeable early on in this big wine (14.5% alcohol) are now sweeter and better integrated. Made from tiny yields of 30 hectoliters per hectare, this is a concentrated, rich effort revealing lots of black cherry and black currant fruit as well as a fragrant, firm, full-bodied personality. It should be at its best between 2016 and 2030.
Intense concentration of black chocolate and berry. Full-bodied, with loads of fruit and velvety tannins. The finish is long and juicy.
Extremely dark and lustrous. Sweet nose with a hint of animal fur. Stewed black cherries this time! Very sweet start and very polished with a certain amount of alcohol in evidence. Strictly for modernists. Date tasted 29th March 2010. Drink 2016-2024.
This delivers the textbook panoply of blueberry, plum and blackberry fruit of the appellation, with a lush, creamy mouthfeel and a long licorice- and sweet toast-filled finish. Along with the suave fruit, there's latent grip that should mellow nicely with midterm cellaring. Best from 2013 through 2023.-J.M.
Rich, powerful wine. Crushed-berry fruit expression - on the cusp of overripe. Tight, suave tannic frame. Needs time to settle. Drink 2015-2025.
While the 2009 La Fleur Cardinale is an outstanding wine, do not expect it to ever achieve the greatness of the 2005. Yields were a tiny 30 hectoliters per hectare, the wine is composed of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the alcohol level is 14.5%. Some rugged tannins are noticeable, but they should age out with 3-4 years of cellaring. The wine is concentrated, pure, impressively perfumed, and long, but the tannins are astringent at present, giving it a dry, raspy element in the finish. (Tasted four times.) Drink 2013.
