Château Fleur Cardinale Saint-Émilion 2019 - Grand Cru Classé

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

This is one of the estate’s most accomplished vintages, featuring velvety tannins supported by a rich, elegant, and creamy structure that shines through in the finish. It’s full of charm and has obvious aging potential.

About the estate:

Florence and Dominique Decoster, their son Ludovic, and his wife Caroline have developed a passion for this 23-hectare hillside estate near the town of Castillon. The wines display a rare richness, even in average vintages, and have gained finesse in their tannic structure. It is one of Saint-Émilion’s sure bets, and the new winery is already yielding greater precision and purity. What progress has been made and what efforts have been invested! This estate is on its way to the top.

Decanter

About the wine:

Aromas of smoky coffee beans and ripe blackcurrants. The texture and flavor of this wine are excellent; it’s full of herbal notes and licorice-tinged black fruits (primarily cherries). It’s so well-integrated that no single element stands out. The tannins are incredibly fine and velvety. The acidity is well-balanced, supporting both the fruit’s density and its freshness. Without a doubt, this is a wine with impressive structure, combining power and balance. Harmonious, charming, and elegant. A very complete wine that balances generous fruit, tannins, acidity, and mineral freshness. You can tell it has been excellently crafted. It exudes a true, sculpted, and refined purity. A great wine, still as juicy and appealing as ever on the finish. A first-rate purchase. Best enjoyed between 2027 and 2045.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the estate:

In 2001, Dominique and Florence Decoster acquired Château Fleur Cardinale, a 23.5-hectare estate situated on one of the highest points of the AOC, east of Saint-Émilion. Their investments quickly paid off: the wine, which has shown steady improvement, entered the ranks of the “classified” wines in 2006, a classification confirmed in 2012. The estate expanded by 4 hectares in 2011 with the acquisition of the neighboring La Croix Cardinale vineyard. Ludovic Decoster joined the estate in 2015 and serves as the estate manager.

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

About the estate:

The Decoster family (with roots in Limoges porcelain, specifically Haviland) spares no effort in making this estate one of the appellation’s most reliable choices. This beautiful estate, located in the eastern part of Saint-Émilion, north of Saint-Étienne-de-Lisse, benefits from a generous clay terroir that demands patience to achieve a high level of ripeness. The Fleur Cardinale vineyard is located in the latest-ripening sector of the Grand Crus Classés. Under the guidance of Jean-Luc Thunevin, the estate produces wines with a modern, rich, and flattering style, often bordering on overripeness. Expanded by 8 hectares following the 2012 classification, the estate now covers 23.5 hectares. Of these 8 hectares from La Croix Cardinale (a brand the Decosters still produce), 4 hectares contribute to the Fleur Cardinale grand vin.

James Suckling

About the wine:

Beautiful clarity, with aromas of crushed red berries, dried flowers, and thinly sliced oyster mushrooms. Full-bodied, with layers of ripe tannins and juicy fruit. Notes of chocolate and nuts come through, along with hints of vanilla beans. Magnificent. Best enjoyed after 2025.

Le Figaro vins

About the wine:

The nose is quite subtle, refined, and delicate, as if it were blushing shyly. After hints of elderflower, it opens up to a palate that is exceptionally smooth, clear, and pure, with notes of black fruit, spices, and cloves, and a finish of great tenderness. 2030–2048

Terre de Vins

About the wine:

With a subtle, slightly woody nose, the surprise comes on the palate, which is full-bodied and flavorful. "A little gem," comments one taster, a wine crafted with attention to detail, with a heady, opulent, and quite sunny palate, featuring juicy red fruits. The overall impression is delicious yet dense, with a very elegant tannic structure. You’ll already be eager to come back for more. It is a well-rounded, distinguished wine with good aging potential.

Yves Beck

About the wine:

The bouquet of Fleur Cardinale 2019 is full of finesse. It is subtle, fruity, and reveals mineral notes. On the palate, the attack is delicious and juicy. This wine has body, tight tannins, and a pleasant freshness imparted by the tension of its acidic structure. Fleur Cardinale is gaining in energy and character. Very promising prospects! 2025–2042

Vert de Vin

About the wine:

The nose is all finesse and elegance, offering a lovely, airy opening, controlled power, complexity, and a certain depth. It features notes of wild blackberry, camphor, and violet combined with hints of juicy, tart blue berries, blueberry, and lily, as well as subtle hints of pepper and a delicate touch of terroir. The palate is fruity, refined, elegant, and balanced, displaying subtlety and delicacy within its power and structure, offering juiciness, smoothness, a tangy backbone, good definition, richness, and a lovely finesse of texture. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of juicy, pulpy blackcurrant, pulpy raspberry, and a lighter hint of blueberry, combined with touches of pulpy redcurrants, as well as subtle hints of lily, plum, chocolate, caramelization, and an imperceptible hint of sweet spices. The tannins are precise, powerful, polished, well-integrated, and elegant.