Fleur Cardinale - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2020

La Revue du Vin de France

92-93 / 100

the6/7/2021

Le croquant sapide du cru se retrouve démultiplié dans ce millésime au parfait parfum de fruits noirs, légèrement confit de mûre et de cassis. Un volume concluant dont la chair est ponctuée d’une touche de graphite.

Le Figaro

90-92 / 100

the6/2/2021

Nez très floral de violette et de rose, avant d'évoluer vers les baies noires, le cassis et la cerise. Une bouche suave, sur des notes fruitées de framboise, de mûre et de cassis. Les tannins sont encore présents, mais la structure du vin est soignée, élégante, avec une finale réglissée et mentholée, pleine d'énergie.

Vinous

92-94 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe6/1/2021

The 2020 Fleur Cardinale is elegant and refined from the first taste. Bright red berry fruit, spice, blood orange and cedar lend terrific brightness. In 2020 Fleur Cardinale is elegant, polished and restrained. All the elements come together so gracefully. I imagine the 2020 will flesh out a bit over time. Today, it is a bit restrained, but that is not at all a bad thing. A second bottle was even better. The 2020 could very well turn out to be a jewel of a wine.

Jeb DUNNUCK

92-94 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/28/2021

I tasted the 2020 Château Fleur Cardinale from three separate bottles, all of which showed brilliantly. Offering lots of red and black fruits as well as dark chocolate and rocky, earthy minerality, it’s a full-bodied, firm yet promising wine with terrific overall balance and length as well as purity of fruit. Short-term cellaring is the name of the game here, but it’s going to shine for at least two decades. It’s well worth seeking out

Tastingbook.com

94 / 100

byMarkus Del Monegothe5/28/2021

Dark purple colour with violet hue and black core. Expressive nose with aroma reminiscent of ripe blackberries, fresh plums, juicy black cherries, with floral hints and mild spices in the background. Subtle oak and fine hints of dark chocolate. On the palate juicy character with ripe fruit, plums and dark berries, ripe tannins, fine toasting aroma and elegant vanilla. A complex and rich wine with excellent length and freshness.   

Vinous

91-93 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/27/2021

The 2020 Fleur Cardinale has a well-defined and intense bouquet of black cherries, crushed strawberry, star anise and light floral scents, gaining more composure as it opens in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent tannins, graphite-tinged black fruit and a thumping, powerful finish that leaves a peppery aftertaste. This will require 3–5 years in bottle just to shave some of its edges and is likely to need several years in the cellar. Tasted twice with consistent notes.

Decanter.com

94 / 100

byJane Ansonthe5/25/2021

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.

Jeb DUNNUCK

92-94 / 100

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/23/2021

I tasted the 2020 Château Fleur Cardinale from three separate bottles, all of which showed brilliantly. Offering lots of red and black fruits as well as dark chocolate and rocky, earthy minerality, it’s a full-bodied, firm yet promising wine with terrific overall balance and length as well as purity of fruit. Short-term cellaring is the name of the game here, but it’s going to shine for at least two decades. It’s well worth seeking out.

The Wine Cellar Insider

93-95 / 100

byJeff Levethe5/21/2021

Dark in color, the wine is all about its dark red fruits, licorice, smoke, wet earth and tobacco leaf characteristics. On the palate. the wine is rich, lush, ripe and voluptuous, with a finish that packs in layers of espresso, black fruits, licorice and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, concentrated and long, this is the best Fleur Cardinale I have tasted in a few years. 93-95

Wine Advocate

93-95 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe5/20/2021

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.

Anthocyanes

91-93 / 100

byYohan Castaingthe5/11/2021

Légèrement mentholé, frais et très fruits noirs, le bouquet de Fleur Cardinale est complexe et dense. Légères notes de prise de bois à l'aération. Bouche juteuse, tendue, plus qu'à son habitude, avec un boisé délicat. La tension est présente et rehausse une structure d'ensemble moyennement dense. Une bouteille qui pourrait se révéler totalement après les élevages.

Falstaff

93-95 / 100

the5/10/2021

Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, dezenter Ockerrand. Zart ta- bakig unterlegte schwarze Waldbeeren, Nuancen von Kirschen, frische Blaubeeren, angenehmer Edelholzanklang. Saftig, gute Komplexität und Frische, integrierte Tannine, mineralisch-zitroniger Touch im Abgang, salziger Nachhall, besitzt Länge und Entwicklungspotenzial.

My Bettane + Desseauve

91-92 / 100

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/7/2021

Jamessuckling.com

95-96 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/14/2021

Vivid and lively with blackberries, earth and some flowers. It’s full and layered with tannins that spread across the palate. Broader form to this young Bordeaux. Lots of tannins at the end.