Château Fleur Cardinale 2022

Couleur noire. Nez intense, fruité, frais, mûr, subtil et floral. Moelleux en entrée de bouche, particulièrement aromatique au milieu, avec une classe inédite dans le toucher, le vin monte après le milieu de bouche vers une longue finale puissante, savoureuse, sans aspérité et noble. C'est superbe ! Assemblage : 75 % merlot, 20 % cabernet franc, 5 % cabernet sauvignon. Degré d’alcool : 14°77 – pH : 3,68. Rendement : 38 hl/ha avant sélection. Production : 89 000 bouteilles. Mars 2023.

Spiced cherries, cedar, white pepper and dark mushrooms on the nose. Almost full-bodied on the palate, with ripe, dusty, caressing tannins that are evenly packed. Juicy, long and complete. Really well balanced and already appealing, but better after 2026. January 2025.

56% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Franc, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon Fleur Cardinale 2023 has a bouquet of good intensity, with notes of elderberry, a hint of peony and a touch of chalk. The ageing has a subtle effect in the background. The attack is full-bodied, with soft tannins and an incisive structure that balances the palate as a whole. A deserving wine, not only in a complicated context, but also in its journey towards greater relevance and authenticity! 2027-2043

Floral flecks with ripe black fruits on the nose. Straight and linear, concentrated but kept in check by fine and firm tannins that keep the frame relatively narrow and focused from start to finish. Nice purity and clarity of elements with cool blueberries alongside slate, liquorice and crushed stones giving the mineral nuance. Still has tension so you're not getting much width at this point but everything is presented so nicely and formally, all in its place with high acidity making it such an appealing, friendly and drinkable wine. Great stuff from this estate that continues to impress. Yield 38hl/ha. Harvest 19-30 September. Ageing 12-14 months, 72% new French oak barrels, 18% one wine, 7% 30hl foudres, 3% 750l amphora. 3.6pH. Bee friendly. Jean-Philippe fort consultant. Drinking window. 2027 - 2043. Georgina Hindle. April 2023.

The wine boasts ripe black fruits, whose tannins have richness. The wine's density comes from the Merlot in the blend, which is being partly aged in amphoras. 92-94/100 (barrel sample). Roger Voss. February 2023.