2015 Château Fleur Cardinale
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Tasting notes
Creamy and smooth in texture, with fleshy damson fruit delivering confident seductive black cherry and cassis flavours that place it squarely in the more powerful side of St Emilion, while benefitting from the north-facing slopes of much of the vineyard in terms of underlying freshness and juice. It's a brilliantly balanced wine that can age but would make an impression already if you give it a good few hours in a carafe. Consultants Jean-Philippe Fort and Jean-Luc Thunevin.
Critic scores
James Suckling
Wine Spectator
More reviews and scores
Richer and riper on the nose than the 2016. More opulent and sweeter. Lots of ripe fruit on a tannic undertow but not as subtle as the 2016. (JR)
The 2015 Fleur Cardinale is terrific. 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. As always, Fleur Cardinale shows the more opulent side of Saint-Émilion. A burst of red cherry jam, spice, new leather, spice, lavender and French oak punctuates the unctuous finish. Tasted three times.
The 2015 Fleur Cardinale is a blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon matured in 100% new oak barrels for 13 months. Deep garnet-purple in color, it has a 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.