Fleur Cardinale 2006

A blend of 75% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, this up-and-coming estate has fashioned an outstanding 2006. While not as prodigious as the 2005, it is an exceptional effort boasting a dense purple hue as well as sweet aromas of blueberries, dark raspberries, licorice, camphor, and pain grille. Full-bodied, powerful, and layered with impressive purity, texture, and length, this unfined and unfiltered wine should be at its finest between 2013-2022.

Tasted privately with a negotiant. A very sweet, slightly sugary, exotic nose. The palate is slightly better, although still suffers being excessively oaked and over-extracted. Black cherries, prune and dates. Lacks typicity and structure. Tasted April 2007.

Very deep colour. Somehow they have managed to have overripe notes on the nose - incredible! Then drying and chewy on the palate. I tried a second bottle and I fear this wine is just fundamentally unbalanced. Very dry finish and unappetising nose. Inky finish. Not unpleasant - quite a bit of beef! Strapping, chewy tannins, dry finish, just-as-it-comes and no bones about it. Pretty solid and rasping tannins. Very different from some recent vintages of this wine.

Full ruby-red. High-pitched aromas of cassis, blackberry, violet, licorice and menthol. Intense, pure and sharply delineated, with a juicy, lively quality to the black fruit, violet and menthol flavors. Surprisingly dense and ripe for such a penetrating wine. Finishes with chewy, ripe tannins and lovely aromatic persistence. I'd give this three or four years in the cellar.

The 2006 may not turn out to be as good as the 2005 Fleur Cardinale, but this estate deserves its promotion in the most recent classification of St.-Emilion to a grand cru classe (suspended in March because of pending litigation). Tremendous efforts in both the vineyard and the winemaking have resulted in a succession of brilliant wines. Made with the consulting assistance of Michel Rolland’s top assistant, Jean-Philippe Fort, and St.-Emilion’s “bad boy,” Jean-Luc Thunevin, the 2006 is a blend of 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by a flowery nose offering notes of black fruits, crushed rocks, and spicy oak. Medium to full-bodied, elegant, pure, and precise, this stunner falls just short of rivaling the fabulous 2005. It should drink well for 10-15 years.