2023 Château Fleur Cardinale
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Tasting notes
Black cherries, spicy wood, graphite, and chalky minerality all define the 2023 Château Fleur Cardinale, an incredibly classy Saint-Emilion based on 58% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Franc, and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in a mix of new oak barrels (45%), second-fill barrels, 500-liter barrels, foudres, and amphorae, it's deep purple-hued and incredibly complete, with medium-bodied richness, a great mid-palate, and flawless balance. It's absolutely terrific and will have 20-25 years of longevity. Drink 2026-2051.
Critic scores
James Suckling
Neal Martin, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Fleur Cardinale is rich and ample in the glass, but not at all overdone. Dark-toned fruit, new leather, incense, tobacco, chocolate and lifted floral overtones all meld together. The 2023 builds nicely over time, showing notable charm and tons of class.
The 2023 Fleur Cardinale feels a bit compact on the nose, does not quite have the exuberance that I have found in other recent vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with rounded tannins, lower acidity than I would like and, as such, it does not quite deliver the tension and brightness it needs on the finish. Not bad, but could be better.
The Grand Vin 2023 Château Fleur Cardinale checks in as 56% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon that hit 14.5% alcohol and 3.6 pH, raised in 45% new French oak, with 15% in demi-muids, 10% in wooden vats, and 10% in amphora. It has a gorgeous, incredible limestone-driven bouquet of black raspberries, chalky minerality, flowers, and spicy nuances. This medium-bodied, concentrated, beautifully balanced Saint-Emilion has remarkable purity, fine, chalky tannins, the juicy, elegant style of the vintage, and outstanding length. It's a more focused, mineral-driven effort compared to its Croix Cardinale sibling.