In 2024, Château Fleur Cardinale and Château Croix Cardinale were brought together under the name La Maison Cardinale

Intuition de Fleur Cardinale 2018 - Château Fleur Cardinale
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Intuition de Fleur Cardinale 2018

Precision & Ambition

IDENTITY

Blend :

  • 85% Merlot
  • 15% Cabernet Franc

Alcoholic degree: 14,5°

WEATHER CONDITIONS

The 2018 growing season was marked by excess rainfall up till the end of June, followed by hot weather at the end.

Favoured by ideal weather conditions at the end of the season, we were able to perform “haute-couture” harvesting work.

HARVEST

  • 27 September > 24 October 2018
  • Yields: 45 hl/ha
  • Production: 17 000 bottles of second wine

TASTING SUGGESTIONS

  • Optimal tasting period: 2020-2025
  • Today: ready to drink.
  • Serving temperature: 17-18°C.

PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS

The 2018 vintage is synonymous of:

  • Resurgence
  • Generosity
  • Precision
  • Ambition

SOUNDTRACK

To enjoy while listening to Bob Dylan, Like a Rolling Stone

Reviews for this vintage

B MY BORDEAUX, CHRISTER BYKLUM

89
Ruby. Blueberries, anise, faint of spices, fruit driven nose, faintly scented and somewhat floral nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, dark fruits, red berries, elegant texture, lovely freshness with some sweetness, good length. November 2020

YVES BECK

88
Robe rouge grenat aux reflets violets. Le bouquet d’Intuition est très invitant. Il parvient à cumuler une fraîcheur épicée et un côté de baies noires confites. En bouche il affiche un côté élancé et élégant tandis que les tannins lui donnent un peu de coffre en rappelant subtilement que l’on est à Bordeaux ! Un vin que l’on pourra déjà apprécier dans sa jeunesse. 2021-2026 October 2020

BETTANE & DESSEAUVE, DENIS HERVIER

La jutosité du fruit en attaque, avec un joli velouté, et surtout une bonne longueur avec un tannin élégant, j’insiste sur ce point, car les seconds vins sur leur finale manquent souvent de profondeur.

DECANTER, JANE ANSON

90
The second wine of La Fleur Cardinale and this is one to look out for. They have done a good job of taking the foot off the extraction pedal so you get the blueberry and raspberry fruit of St-Emilion in a more gentle delivery of tannin. No question this shows a warm summer, with traces of heat through the finish, but lots of juice to pep things up. This is successful. November 2020

JEB DUNNUCK

91
A blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Intuition De Fleur Cardinale reveals a healthy ruby/purple hue to go with impressive cassis and black raspberry fruits, medium to full-bodied richness, a rounded, soft, fruit-forward texture, and solid notes of spicy oak, dried flowers, and sandalwood. It's a smoking good second wine that I'd be happy to drink any time over the coming 7-8 years. March 2021

FORBES, TOM MULLEN

93
An 85/15 blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Ripe and generous blast of red fruit aromas. Well integrated tannins and acidity. An easy drinking wine with layers of mocha and fruits that includes cherries. Pair with a creamy pasta, venison or wild game. February 2021

JANCIS ROBINSON, TAMLYN CURRIN

15.5
Ripe mulberry and blackcurrant fruit on the nose. Sage and blackcurrant-bush leafiness over dark fruit and a touch of dry black olive. Full and fresh. Some menthol. A little soft in the middle. January 2021

JANE ANSON

92
The 2nd wine of the excellent Grand Cru Classé La Fleur Cardinale, and this is its first vintage (separate to Croix Cardinale, which comes from a separate plot of vines). It's light on its feel, with deft winemaking that marries juicy black fruits with a more restrained rosemary and slate edging. No need to wait to enjoy this. 50% new oak. Conversion to organic farming began fully in 2021, with trials ongoing in this vintage. July 2021

93
Love this - picked one month ago as one of my top 30 2018s To Drink Now, and now tasted again at a château vertical. This is its inaugural vintage, and it showcases the same bright fruit aromatics that Fleur Cardinale's main estate wine, with sculpted blackberry fruits that are appealing and easy to enjoy. October 2021

JAMES SUCKLING

91
Ripe cherries, violets, black olives, bitter chocolate and some tar on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with firm, creamy tannins. Sleek and refined with a fresh finish. 85% merlot and 15% cabernet franc. Try from 2023. January 2021

LA REVUE DU VIN DE FRANCE, KARINE VALENTIN

91
Tout est au cordeau. 85% de merlot épaulé de cabernet franc, élevage en barriques et présence plus sensuelle qu'académique. Juin 2021

RODERICK SMITH MW

87
A little closed, with rich black fruit aromas lurking underneath. Damson and prune. Roasted coffee tannins. Juicy sappy fruit. Fresh and approachable. Some raspy liquorice on the finish. January 2021

VERTDEVIN, JONATHAN CHOUKROUN CHICHEPORTICHE

15+ // 89-90
The nose is aromatic and offers gourmandize, a certain purity of the fruit. This wine needs to be decanted. It reveals notes of juicy/fresh/gourmand blackberry, fresh cassis, small notes of black plum associated with fine touches of graphite, a touch of small red berries associated with fine touches of graphite, a touch of small red berries as well as fine hints of exotic pepper and a hint of nutmeg. The palate is fruity, fresh, friand and offers a beautiful gourmandize, a very discreet iodine hint (bring appetence), suavity as well as sapidity. On the palate this wine expresses notes of bright blue plum, juicy/fresh blackberry, small notes of blueberry, cassis associated with touches of lilac, graphite, very discreet hints of toasted, chocolate and coffee (in the background). Tannins are well-built and elegant. September 2020

VINARIA, PETER SCHLEIMER

15,8
Leicht rauchig, anfangs zurückhaltend, gewisses Volumen, reife Walderdbeeren, bisschen frische Pilze, ein Hauch likörig; kraftvoll strukturiert, mittelgewichtig, lebhaft, recht vital, rotbeerige Frucht, auch Ribiseln, saftig, kernig, mittellang. February 2021

VINOUS, ANTONIO GALLONI

91
The 2018 Intuition de Fleur Cardinale, the second wine of the château, is plump, juicy and very easy to like. Dark cherry, chocolate, new leather, licorice and spice are front and center in this super-appealing Saint-Émilion. March 2021

VINOUS, NEAL MARTIN

86
The 2018 Intuition de Fleur Cardinale, the Second Wine of Fleur Cardinale, has a crisp, well-defined bouquet of blackberry, bilberry and light iodine notes, a touch of seaweed emerging with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with an espresso-tinged entry. I find this just misses the composure shown by the nose, revealing dark chocolate notes toward a finish that comes across a little simplistic. Not bad, but short-term only. January 2021

VVWINE, ADRIAN VAN VELSEN

88
Rubis brillant. Au nez immédiatement après ouverture avec beaucoup de cerises noires, de prunes, de mûres, d'herbes, de moka. Au début, mince et ferme, puis s'étale, montre un corps moyen et, malgré 14,5% d'alcool, beaucoup de fraîcheur, des tanins parfaitement intégrés, moyennement prononcés et une acidité juteuse. Avec traction et équilibre, le vin se termine par un mélange de longueur moyenne de fruits rouges et noirs. Maintenant jusqu'en 2025. Mars 2021

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER, JEFF LEVE

90
The debit vintage for the new, second wine from Fleur Cardinale is Round, soft and forward with a core of chocolate covered plums and licorice, this is prefect to enjoy today while waiting for its big sister to develop. March 2021

THE WINE DOCTOR, CHRIS KISSACK

90
This is the second wine of Fleur Cardinale, in its first ever vintage under this name. Those familiar with the estate might have thought that is a role played by Croix Cardinale, but that cuvée is in fact sourced from a separate 4-hectare parcel of wines. The aromatic profile here is undeniably smoky, with notes of roasted cherry spiced with coffee grounds and dried cranberry. The palate feels plump and with a note of peppery grit, overall quite sweetly composed, with plenty of blackberry and cranberry notes mirroring the character seen on the nose, touched with coffee, toast, chalk and rose petals. This all comes set in a gentle style and texture. Long, ripe and gripped, this is an attractive second wine which needs three or four years to come together. March 2021

THE WINE ENTHUSIAST, ROGER VOSS

92
This second wine of Fleur Cardinale is ripe and on the fruity side, with fine tannins that are already integrated with the structure of sweet tannins. Dominated by Merlot, it is a fruity, succulent wine that will develop quickly. Drink from 2023. January 2021

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