2007 Chateau Fleur Cardinale Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe

Tasting note:

This wine is considered one of the heavyweights of the appellation and was promoted to Grand Cru Classé in the 2006 classification. Château La Fleur Cardinale produces remarkable wines with an expressive, spicy, slightly animal bouquet. Particularly rich on the palate, developing notes of ripe fruit and undergrowth. This wine has significant aging effects and should be kept for at least five years.

A year after selling their Limoges Haviland porcelain company in 2001, Dominique and Florence Decoster purchased Château La Fleur Cardinale. They undertook a substantial investment program to improve the vineyard and modernize the winery. Located east of the village of Saint Emilion, at one of the highlights of the appellation, the estate covers 20 hectares. The vines, planted in the middle of the slopes in clay-limestone, are mainly merlot (70%) and the remainder consists of equal amounts of cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc (15% each). After harvest, the grapes are sorted twice, before and after destemming. The vinification process, per plot, is particularly rigorous and the wines are then aged for 12 to 16 months in new oak barrels