2010 Château Fleur Cardinale St. Émilion Grand Cru Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note

40623 Views

2010
94
It is so easy to drink this right now, the wine is lush, round, opulent, dark in color and fruit, concentrated and loaded with licorice, smoke, black cherry and chocolate.

It is so easy to drink this right now, the wine is lush, round, opulent, dark in color and fruit, concentrated and loaded with licorice, smoke, black cherry and chocolate.

5,297 Views   Tasted
Rich, concentrated, and loaded to the gills with velvety, fat, lush, juicy, sweet, dark, fleshy fruits. Deep in flavor and color, the wine is still quite young, yet it's also hard to not pop a cork and dig it, for what it shows today. With its extra jolt of freshness and purity, this is probably the best vintage yet produced by Fleur Cardinale.

Rich, concentrated, and loaded to the gills with velvety, fat, lush, juicy, sweet, dark, fleshy fruits. Deep in flavor and color, the wine is still quite young, yet it's also hard to not pop a cork and dig it, for what it shows today. With its extra jolt of freshness and purity, this is probably the best vintage yet produced by Fleur Cardinale.

7,055 Views   Tasted
Everything about this wine is great from the start, with its showy aromatics to the opulent, sensuous, rich layers of fat, ripe, sweet, fresh fruits. Yes, I know its young. But all great wines show well young and get better with age. There are not many wines at this level of quality that sell for this reasonable price.

Everything about this wine is great from the start, with its showy aromatics to the opulent, sensuous, rich layers of fat, ripe, sweet, fresh fruits. Yes, I know its young. But all great wines show well young and get better with age. There are not many wines at this level of quality that sell for this reasonable price.

7,363 Views   Tasted
If there is a better in St. Emilion, I’d like to hear about. The remarkable level of consistency displayed in the wines of Fleur Cardinale is also tough to beat. Packed with black and blue fruits, licorice, dark cherry jam, earth and chocolate, the wine is intense, dense and opulent in texture, finishing with layers of sweet, ripe, rich, fresh, polished fruits.

If there is a better in St. Emilion, I’d like to hear about. The remarkable level of consistency displayed in the wines of Fleur Cardinale is also tough to beat. Packed with black and blue fruits, licorice, dark cherry jam, earth and chocolate, the wine is intense, dense and opulent in texture, finishing with layers of sweet, ripe, rich, fresh, polished fruits.

9,342 Views   Tasted
Fleur Cardinale From an 18 hectare, clay and limestone vineyard, located next to Valandraud, Florence and Dominique Decoster put a lot of effort into their 2010, starting with reducing their yields to 36 hectoliters per hectare. With its deep color, cassis, blackberry, licorice and jammy liqueur aromas exude from the glass. This full-bodied wine offers layers of opulent dark fruit ending with a fresh, licorice, blackberry, dark cherry and chocolate finish. From an assemblage of 78% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot, the wine reached 14.5% ABV. This is the best wine from the estate since their outstanding 2005. For consumers not yet familiar with this estate, Fleur Cardinale is one of the most consistent Bordeaux producers making wines that combine price and quality. 93-95 Pts

Fleur Cardinale From an 18 hectare, clay and limestone vineyard, located next to Valandraud, Florence and Dominique Decoster put a lot of effort into their 2010, starting with reducing their yields to 36 hectoliters per hectare. With its deep color, cassis, blackberry, licorice and jammy liqueur aromas exude from the glass. This full-bodied wine offers layers of opulent dark fruit ending with a fresh, licorice, blackberry, dark cherry and chocolate finish. From an assemblage of 78% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot, the wine reached 14.5% ABV. This is the best wine from the estate since their outstanding 2005. For consumers not yet familiar with this estate, Fleur Cardinale is one of the most consistent Bordeaux producers making wines that combine price and quality. 93-95 Pts

11,566 Views   Tasted

When to Drink Chateau Fleur Cardinale, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Fleur Cardinale is better with at least 6-9 years of aging in good vintages. Young vintages can be decanted for 1-2 hours or more.

This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau Fleur Cardinale offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 8-22 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau Fleur Cardinale with Wine and Food Pairings

Chateau Fleur Cardinale is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau Fleur Cardinale is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Fleur Cardinale is also good when matched with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.

Secret de Cardinale was an early effort at producing wine from 100% Merlot. The wine came from their clay and limestone soils and was aged in 100% new, French oak barrels for an average of 13 months. The final vintage for Secret de Cardinal was 2012. The wine is no longer being produced. The vines are now being used for the production of Fleur Cardinale.

www.chateau-fleurcardinale.com