Chateau Fleur Cardinale Grand Cru Classé Saint-Emilion 2020

Tastingbook.com

James Suckling

Attractive aromas of blueberries and mulberries with graphite, dark licorice and crushed stones. Dark chocolate, too. Full-bodied. Impressive quality to the tannin structure that starts gently and glossy and continues to build, gaining power throughout the palate. Deep and dense with a velvety dark-fruited core. Really long, tense and persistent.

Falstaff

Deep garnet, purple reflections, opaque core, subtle brightening on the rim. Delicate tobacco and herbal savouriness, an underlay of dark wild berries, black cherries, fine nougat and fine oak notes; overall a rather shy bouquet. Complex, tightly meshed texture, fine fruit expression, supporting, ripe tannins, good freshness, mineral finish and a chocolaty aftertaste. Shows good length and certain ageing potential.

Izak Litwar, Great Bordeaux Wines

As thrilling as 2019 but a little more precise. Tremendous effort.

Vert de Vin Magazine

On the nose it is aromatic and opulence, a nice finesse of the texture, complexity as well as intensity. It reveals notes of pulpy wild blackcurrant, wild blackberry and more slightly small berries associated with touches of violet, lily, small red fruits (strawberry, cherry) as well as hints of plum blossoms, spices, wet stone/graphite, with discreet hints of tobacco and a subtle hint of pepper (in the background). On the palate is fruity, all in precision / accuracy, racy and offers juiciness, tension, air power / mastered power, a certain purity of the fruit, minerality, a nice definition of the fruit as well as a fruit juicy / fresh / bright, precision, purity as well as gluttony. This wine expresses notes of bright blackcurrant, purple plum and more slightly crushed wild blackberry associated with touches of raspberry, wild berries, violets, plum blossoms as well as hints of tonka bean, cardamom, sweet blond tobacco and discreet hints of Bourbon vanilla bean. Good length. The tannins are precise, structuring, well carried out and offer mellowness.

Christer Byklum

Fleur Cardinale is confirming a new level with this vintage.

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

Deeply colored, the wine struts its chocolate covered, black cherries, plums, licorice, flowers and espresso character with ease. Rich, full, lush and long, the layers of fruit express length, purity, balance and complexity, leaving with a long, supple-textured, fruit-packed finish. As I wrote when tasted in barrel, this is the best Fleur Cardinale I have tasted in a few years. The wine blends 77% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Decanter

A ton of depth and body to this wine, you feel the cool blue fruit of a later-ripening terroir, plenty of tannic grip and bite, curls up with graphite, cigar box, liquorice root and a tiptoe balance of slate and baked earth. Plenty of juicy acidity on the finish, this is precise and elegant with a punch, and continues the run of successful vintages at Fleur Cardinale. A yield of 43hl/ha. 100% new oak. New cellar just finished up at the estate.

WinesCritic.com

Vibrant and spicy showing notes of prunes, plums, wild violets and blackberries. Full bodied, elegant and long in the sip showing precision and kindess.

The Wine Independent

“Vibrant and spicy showing notes of prunes, plums, wild violets and blackberries. Full bodied, elegant and long in the sip showing precision and kindess.”

Robert Parker

Composed of 77% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, with an alcohol of 14.5% and a pH of 3.57, the deep purple-black colored 2020 Fleur Cardinale bursts from the glass with powerful notes of crushed blackberries, stewed black plums and Morello cherries, plus suggestions of star anise, pencil shavings and black truffles. The medium to full-bodied palate is chock-full of softly textured, juicy black fruits, countered by fantastic tension, finishing with great length and loads of earthy layers.

Markus del Monego MW

Power and elegance complement each other, a wine with excellent length.

Vivino

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

Has seen a vertical rise in its renown and reputation over the last decade. culminating in a nod from the classification in 2012...For sure this is an estate to watch