Fleur Cardinale 2014
Fleur Cardinale 2014, is located in Saint-Etienne-de-Lisse, the vines populating the lieu-dit of Thibaud. it has a powerful, rich and decadent bouquet bestowed with licorice and boysenberry jam. The palate is medium-bodied with muscular tannin, good depth, fine acidity with a structured and quite spicy finish that replicates the showing from barrel. Enjoy this over the next 8-10 years.
This year, the Merlot variety benefits from the clayey local soil which gives the high quality to the Fleur Cardinale. The appellation of Saint-Emilion has benefitof 75% of Merlot, 20% of Cabernet Franc and 5% of Cabernet Sauvignon giving structure and the touch of freshness to this Fleur Cardinale 2014. The creamy fruity taste offers a large density of aromas and depth. After detecting the spicy character while swirling, the attack on the mouth enhances the flavours. Then, the wine turns into a stronger character, which is smooth and structured without lacking density. This charismatic wine has got length, weight and freshness thanks to the brightness and exactness of its tannins. Nothing is missing in this Grand Cru Classé of Saint-Emilion.
Chateau Fleur Cardinale was purchased by Dominique Decoster and Florence Decoster in 2001. Before the Decoster family bought the property, it was owned by the Asseo family. Prior to buying their first vineyard, they were in the fine porcelain and China business in the Limoges region of France. They were helped by Jean Luc Thunevin and Murielle Andraud in deciding to purchase the vineyard. To produce the wine of Chateau Fleur Cardinale, it is a very labor intensive process. For the vinification, the juice undergoes a cold maceration at 5 degrees Celsius for 5 or 6 days. This is followed by alcoholic fermentation and a warm maceration for 2 to 3 weeks. All the pumping over is done by gravity, which avoids stirring the musts.
There is a second wine which made its debut with the 2018 vintage, Intuition. On average, the production of Chateau Fleur Cardinale is close to 10,000 cases of wine per vintage.