Château Fleur Cardinale 2010

Deep ruby, almost opaque. Coffee, dark fruits, blueberries, blackberried, rich, big nose. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, fruity, rich, ripe, rounded, dark fruits, good length.
Mars 2016

Très corsé, chaleureux, tannin puissant, attendre cinq ans que le fruit devienne plus diversifié.

Rich and decadent. Oozes sumptuous fruit. Bold, firm tannins. 2017-2028

This for me has a better balance than the 2009, same alcohol but here it is effortlessly eaten up by the rich dark fruits, with cassis, blueberry, bilberry and blackberry all apparent, with texture and juice. It’s gourmet, with a black chocolate, slightly bitter edge, even with traces of menthol as the Cabernets take the lead here. Small yield at 36hl/ha. Harvest October 18 right through to November 5, which sounds extreme but bear in mind this is the cooler section of the plateau back towards the border with Castillon and these soils take longer to fully ripen their grapes.
Drinking Window 2019 - 2044
December 2019

Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, dezente Randaufhellung, zarte Noten von Überreife, ein Hauch von Dörrobst, zart nach Velourleder, etwas rustikales Bukett. Zart blättrig, reife Zwetschkenfrucht, präsente Tannine, etwas Nougat im Abgang, hat Länge, dezenter Dörrzwetschkentouch im Nachhall, feuriger Rückgeschmack zeugt von hohem Alkoholgehalt.
July 2014

Guide 2012
Quelle belle tension sur cette matière à la maturité généreuse mais sans excès ! L’ensemble est racé avec un rien de sensualité qu’apporte le fruité épanoui. Un toucher de velours !

Showed different style, softer and more elegant than some other wines, but had same excellent quality. Primeurs 2009

L’olfaction est séduisante, avec des arômes de cerises noires bien mûres, de violettes, de réglisse, et des notes d’élevage. L’attaque est nette, avec des tannins bien enrobés, les fruits sont mûrs et expressifs, le milieu de la bouche, un peu plus tannique, est bien charpenté. La finale, d’une bonne allonge, est soulignée par des fruits mûrs, et des épices douces, avec un grand tannique bien maîtrisé.
Avril 2011

La robe est assez profonde à profonde, de teinte sanguine à violine. Le nez s'ouvre à l'aération sur une corbeille de fruits noirs (cerises noires, cassis écrasé, et baies de sureau) de boite à épices, avec des notes de violettes, de réglisse, et un élevage élégant en arrière plan. La bouche est veloutée en attaque, les tannins fins et mûrs enrobés par une chair bien formée se trament dans un corps dense, d'une élégante concentration, rehaussé de fruits épicés. La finale est longue, encore un peu tannique (très bon maintien), fraîche et persistante.
Juin 2016

December 2013
Very dark and inky colour. Elegant nose of wild berries and cassis with a hint of roasted oak, spices and tobacco. The palate has a very good level of concentration with layers of dark fruit, a fine extraction and quality of tannin. Very powerful, yet balanced with a good dose of freshness, spicy notes, juicy cassis flavours and a very long, lingering finish. Highly potent.

March 2013
Very dark and inky colour. Sweet and floral nose, fine spices, dark fruit, flowers and fine oak. The palate is rich and dense with fine backbone of tannin, luscious dark fruit, long and very rich finish. Attractively made; drink from 2015.

Robe noire. Nez joliment épicé. Bouche avec une attaque dense et suave, superbe milieu de bouche, très équilibré, très belle finale.

Dans la catégorie Grands Vins // ****

Sweet and rich and round and hugely flattering. This wine has managed to keep the vitality in without excessive dry tannin. Really well done ! Lovely finish. Very distinctive. Very readable and transparent.
Avril 2011

Ce n'est plus le même vin qu'en primeur. Le voici avec un fruité plus frais, un nez de cerise et vanille, une bouche au niveau attendu, grasse et puissante, mais aussi suave avec un tanin enveloppé. Bonne longueur.
Février 2012

Dark chocolate and blackberry character with beautiful polished tannins and full body.
May 2011

Wow. This shows an impressive richness on the nose of cappuccino, ripe berries and dried flowers. Full body with velvety tannins and a fine finish. Rich and delicious. Harmonious and luscious. So delicious now but better in 2017.
February 2013

Ce terroir très tardif donne des vins compacts qui ont gagné en relâchement en 2010. Le style mûr et rond est ainsi moins démonstratif.
Septembre 2012

Avec seulement 30 % de cabernets, Fleur Cardinale est un vin extrêmement concentré, aux arômes fumés, puissant et riche en bouche donnant une finale très (trop ?) nourrissante. L’élevage (100 % fûts neufs) sera raccourci à un an afin que le vin ne soit pas trop marqué. Attention aux excès d’alcool dans l’assemblage final !
Avril 2011

Ce terroir très tardif donne des vins compacts qui ont gagné en relâchement en 2010. Le style mûr, rond est ainsi moins démonstratif.
Août 2012

Une enveloppe moelleuse unique emballe un jus de gouttes aux tanins capitonnés, confits, mais sans lourdeur.
Novembre 2013

Intense, crémeux, balsamique, Fleur Cardinale s’affranchit d’une pointe de surmaturité, qui alourdit quelque peu l’expression du fruit, grâce à une bouche vigoureuse, au bel élan acide.
Janvier 2020

Grande trame juteuse à la puissance maîtrisée, parfaitement gainée dans des tanins bien mûrs, frais et raffinés. On est ici dans un registre riche et affirmé, à attendre impérativement. Finale légèrement amère et resserrée. Sur une volaille aux truffes ou un magret de canard.
Janvier 2013

Très corsé, chaleureux, tannin puissant, attendre cinq ans que le fruit devienne plus diversifié.
Septembre 2014

The greatest Fleur Cardinale since the 2005, the super-powerful, rich, opaque purple-colored 2010 exhibits beautiful floral notes intermixed with black raspberry, blueberry and boysenberry fruit as well as a hint of minerality. Exuberant and flamboyant with full-bodied richness, stunning purity and an impressive, textured mouthfeel and finish, this beauty should age effortlessly for 12-20 years.
May 2011

Dense ruby/purple, it tips the scales at 15% natural alcohol and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Full-bodied in texture, it offers up loads of blueberry, blackberry and raspberry fruit intermixed with some cedar, vanilla and a touch of spring flowers. Impressively built, with good acidity and light tannin, this is a superb example of wine that reaches its prime in 3 or 4 years and lasts two decades. It’s right up there with their brilliant 2005.
From an estate owned by Dominique and Florence Decoster, this wine has been a real treasure to follow over the last decade. Another over-achieving, brilliant effort from the Decosters, the 2010 from their 45-acre vineyard is a blend of 70% Merlot and the rest equal parts Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
February 2013

With its deep color, the wine opened with licorice, earth, cassis and blackberry liqueur aromas. Full bodied and filled with ripe, juicy fruit, with plush textures and a long, licorice, blackberry and chocolate finish, this offers better richness and intensity than the 2009. May 2011

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.
May 2013

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.
October 2014

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.
December 2017

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.
September 2018

Black ruby. Superripe, sexy aromas of blackberry pastille and blueberry. Creamy-sweet-verging-on-confectionery, but with harmonious acidity giving shape and energy to the wine's superconcentrated dark fruit and floral flavors. Best today on the broad, energetic finish, which features substantial ripe, fine-grained tannins and slowly mounting floral persistence. A knockout.
July 2013

A dense, slightly chewy version, with a broad swath of roasted fig, espresso and black currant confiture pushed by additional charcoal and roasted tobacco notes. This is plenty fleshy and dense, with an encore of anise and plum at the very end. A bit raw still, but everything’s there. This estate is quietly putting it all together.
May 2011

This is rich and very plush, but really pure as well, with gorgeous macerated cherry, cassis and blackberry preserves flavors gliding along, carried by remarkably polished tannins. Flecks of bergamot, blood orange and apple wood fill in on the finish, with a fine minerality buried as well. This should be lovely after some cellaring. Best from 2015 through 2030.
March 2013