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2015 Château Fleur Cardinale

Not Currently In Auction

Latest Sale Price

June 23, 2024 - $46

Estimate

RATINGS

96James Suckling

Super rich baking spices across ripe dark plums in a very suave and attractively styled nose. The palate has incredible depth and succulently seductive, fleshy plum flavors. Wow.

94Jeb Dunnuck

...sensational notes of black cherries and currant fruits, toasty oak, graphite, and licorice, it's medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and gorgeously pure and elegant on the palate. It has fine tannin emerging on the finish and is made in a straight, structured, classic style...

93Wine Spectator

Delicious dark fig and boysenberry confiture flavors run from start to finish here, with a graphite spine embedded along the way. Flashes of anise, tar and singed mesquite add range...

93Vinous / IWC

... Exotic and flamboyantly ripe, it exudes richness and depth in all of its dimensions. Blackberry jam, grilled herbs, mocha, leather and menthol are all amped up in a dramatic, full-bodied wine that is long on personality... A burst of red cherry jam, spice, new leather, spice, lavender and French oak punctuates the unctuous finish.

92The Wine Advocate

...nose of fragrant violets, cedar chest and rose hips over a core of chocolate-covered cherries, plum preserves and blueberry pie. The medium to full-bodied palate is rich and plush with plenty of layers and great length.

16Jancis Robinson

PRODUCER

Château Fleur Cardinale

Château Fleur Cardinale is a 60-acre Grand Cru estate in St.-Emilion. Though the estate dates back several centuries, its current owners, Florence and Dominique Decoster, purchased it in 2001. Dominque Decoster had been in the porcelain business in Limoges. The flagship wine is about 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and about 45,000 bottles are produced annually. The second wine is Château Bois Cardinale. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “Fleur Cardinale is made in a very satisfying, round, generous style that offers immediate satisfaction.”

REGION

France, Bordeaux, St.-Émilion

Saint-Émilion is on the east side of the Dordogne River. At 13,400 acres it is one of Bordeaux’s largest appellations, and perhaps its most picturesque. It is also home to what has been called “the garagiste” movement of upstart, tradition-defying winemakers who produce artisanal wines in styles that are unconventional for the appellation. The village of Saint-Émilion dates from the middle ages and it sits on low hills, surrounded by ancient walls. Like its neighbor Pomerol, Saint-Émilion was not included in the famous Bordeaux classification system of 1855. But a century later a ranking system was put in place, and unlike the classification system for the Medoc, the Saint-Émilion system is reviewed every ten years, meaning that estates can be upgraded or downgraded. There are three rankings: Grand Cru Classé, Premier Grand Cru Classé B and Premier Grand Cru Classé A, with the final ranking being the best. Such legendary Saint-Émilion estates as Châteaux Ausone and Cheval-Blanc are Premier Grand Cru Classé A, along with Châteaux Pavie and Angélus, both added to the classification in 2012. Wines in this appellation are primarily Merlot, mixed with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.