Château Croix Cardinale 2011

Très joli vin suave et charmant, bien construit. 2012

Vreemde wijn, wat vluchtig, kruiden, stevigheid, krentjes. Mei 2012
Vin étrange, court, épices, fermeté, groseilles.

Couleur sombre, d'intensité normale. Nez discret, fruité et légèrement viandé. Bouche fruitée, ronde, à la tanicité enrobée, au corps et à la longueur moyens.

April 2012
Recently acquired by the owners of La Fleur Cardinale, Dominique and Florence Decoster, this is a 19-acre estate located in the sector of St.-Emilion known as St.-Etienne de Lisse. Composed of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2011 came in at 15% natural alcohol. A strong effort, this rich, deep wine offers a deep blue/purple color along with notes of road tar interwoven with spicy new oak, black currants and kirsch. Opulent, rich and moderately tannic with good acidity and impressive purity as well as density, it should be cellared for 3-4 years and drunk over the following 15-20.

April 2014
From nearly 19 acres recently acquired by the Decoster family, the 2011 Croix Cardinale is a beauty. Dense ruby-purple-colored, this vineyard was cropped at a low 28 hectoliters per hectare, and the wine is a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon that achieved nearly 15% alcohol. Supple and silky-textured with a sumptuous, full-bodied mouthfeel as well as loads of black currant and black cherry fruit, it is a rich, long, stunning beauty meant to be consumed over the next 10-12 years. Bravo!

2011 is the debut vintage for the Decosters, the owners of Fleur Cardinale and Secret de Cardinale. With the name Croix Cardinale, are you sensing a pattern here? Truffle, chocolate, licorice and jammy black berries are found in the perfume. Rich, polished, sexy and long, the plush finish is filled with chocolate-covered plums. From a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine reached 15% alcohol and will be aged in 100% new oak. April 2012

Rather lush, with warm plum sauce and raspberry coulis notes pumping along, lined with broad, velvety tannins. Flirts with a jammy character, but has enough of a charcoal hint to keep it honest. Drink now through 2018. 2,080 cases made. 2014