Château Fleur Cardinale 2018

94-95/100

Blackcurrant, clove, walnut-husk, tobacco and pine-cone aromas. Dried flowers and mocha, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, tight-grained tannins. Polished layers of dark fruit and wood notes with a long, chewy finish. Focused. Very fine. Try from 2025. January 2021.

91-93/100

Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Fleur Cardinale features pronounced baked blueberries, stewed black plums and blackberry preserves scents with touches of bay leaves, moss-covered bark and forest floor. Full-bodied and laden with black fruit preserves sparked by earth and dried herbs, it has a solid backbone of ripe, rounded tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long. Barrel aging is expected to be for 12-14 months in 100% new oak barrels. The tentative blend is 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.

94/100

En bouche, le vin est d’une juste richesse et d’un style résolument hédoniste, avec une chair crémeuse imposante mais fraîche. Très belle réussite. Avril 2019

94/100

An estate that is just doing such good work right now. This was delicious en primeur and for me a little better in bottle. Has that slow slate-textured finish that makes things inch along slowly, giving time to appreciate the rich berry fruits and floral edge to the aromatics. An interesting initiative in the packaging also, with a wooden cask that has instructions for being turned into a bird box afterwards, encouraging recycling. November 2020

93-96/100

Offers lovely fruit, with exotic plum and boysenberry notes gliding along, carried by a very velvety structure. The long finish has a nice flow, showing a latent anise echo. Seems to be holding back a bit, but there's some serious depth of fruit here. April 2019.

16-17/20

Nez frais, iris, mure et myrtille. Nez de terroir froid ce qui lui sied merveilleusement cette année. Velouté, satiné avec une grosse charge tannique, une densité sur la profondeur et une finale élégante et fruitée. Plein de mouvement. Un vrai changement de style. Juin 2019.

92-94/100

Ripe and juicy, this is a delicious wine with its fine tannins and acidity already in harmony. The structure of the wine is powerful with a dry core that will broaden out as the wine matures. April 2019.

16.5/20

Black core with purple rim. Ripe blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, rich but not excessively sweet in aroma though there is a youthful oaky, charry sweetness that is not out of place in a barrel sample. A dark, oaky intensity on the palate packed with sweet black fruit. The deep-pile tannins are smooth and compact to begin and build to a more chewy finish. Attractively dry texture at the very end even though it is full in the mouth with lots of everything. Surprisingly juicy on the finish. Just enough freshness – typical for 2018. Chewy and full bodied with power but no aggression. The way the wine stayed fresh over several days after opening, even though it is a cask sample, suggests it will age well. May 2019

92-94/100

The 2018 Château Fleur Cardinale shows the subtle change in style at this estate, offering slightly more elegance and finesse while still packing plenty of fruit and texture. Coming from a 23.5-hectare vineyard consisting mostly of older vines, the 2018 is currently a tentative blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon that was harvested starting on September 27th, which is a record early date for this estate. It hit 14.5% alcohol and will spend 12-14 months in new French oak. Perfumed notes of cassis, black raspberries, violets, and spring flowers all emerge from the glass, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, elegant texture, terrific ripeness, and sweet tannins. It’s an elegant yet still sexy wine that shows the vintage beautifully. April 2019

91-94/100

The 2018 Fleur Cardinale is gorgeous. Supple, racy and wonderfully persistent, the 2018 is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine. Blackberry jam, cloves, chocolate, new leather, licorice and sweet spice all build in a sumptuous, voluptuous Saint-Émilion loaded with class and potential. The question now is really how the 2018 will develop in élevage. Past vintages have been impressive en primeur but then suffered from too much oak during aging. Hopefully that won't be the case here, as the 2018 is really terrific. In the early going, the 2018 does feel a bit less extracted than in the past, and that is certainly a positive development. The blend is 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. April 2019

94/100

Le bouquet de Fleur Cardinale 2018 a le mérite d’immédiatement indiquer d’où il vient, respectivement il affiche un côté crayeux. Ça c’est le plateau calcaire de St-Emilion. Ensuite il y a le côté pruneaux, chocolats et épices…. Ça c’est Fleur Cardinale. Finalement, la complexité est complétée par des nuances de tourbe et de griotte. En bouche le vin se révèle sous différents angles. Oui, il y a le charme de 2018, mais il y a également la finesse, la délicatesse et des tannins qui assurent bien les arrières. Ils sont encore quelque peu accrocheurs, mais dans la configuration du millésime, c’est de bon augure. Finale sapide et persistante. Octobre 2020