Chateau Fleur Cardinale 2019

Professional Ratings

• 96 James Suckling
  This is a wine that has a broad brush of tannins that give energy and subtle texture to the palate. Beautiful blue fruit and terracotta. Really fine-grained tannins. Beautiful, sweet fruit at the finish. One of the best I have had from here. Really want to drink it. 76% merlot, 20% cabernet franc and 4% cabernet sauvignon.
  Barrel Sample:95-96
• 94 Jeb Dunnuck

  A consistently impressive Saint-Emilion, the 2019 Château Fleur Cardinale shows the vintage beautifully, with a medium to full-bodied, elegant style as well as classic darker cherry and mulberry fruits, notes of dried herbs, loamy earth, and incense, supple yet present tannins, and a great finish. It's one classy, balanced 2019 to drink over the coming two decades. Best after 2022.

• 94 Decanter
  Always one of the bigger more powerful St Emilions, and this has plenty of estate signature. Excellent presence, it heads downwards, carving out a space for itself and settling in for the long haul. Clear oak character but not overdone, and has the glamour and sense of fun that I love about this property. Clear spice also, sage and rosemary alongside liquorice and black chocolate. This is well handled, definitely a bigger framed wine but delivered with confidence and appeal - you're going to want to try this. Tasted twice three weeks apart. 100% new oak. A yield of 44hl/ha. Every case sold this year will see one tree planted, with the hope of planting 10,000 trees.
• 92 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

  The 2019 Fleur Cardinale derives from a late-ripening site on the north-facing side of Saint-Émilion's limestone plateau. Revealing aromas of jammy cherries, spices, dark chocolate and mocha, it's full-bodied, broad and velvety, with powdery tannins and a generous core of lively fruit, concluding with a chalky finish. This is a fleshy, front-loaded wine in a contemporary style that will please consumers who favor power and richness, but which will leave purists wondering if less might be more. Best after 2021.

• 92 Wine Enthusiast
  A rich and smoothly textured wine, this is juicy with black currant fruits and ripe tannins. It has weight and plenty of dense fruit flavors along with tannins that have a fine potential for softening.
  Barrel Sample: 90-92
• 92 Wine Spectator

  Richly textured, with currant and fig paste notes rolling through slowly, laced liberally with humus, alder and tobacco. A touch burly, but the fruit has an unctuous hint as a counterbalance. This is for fans of the bigger style. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2024.