Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

On the nose, bright, lean, ripe cherries, dark cherries, strawberries, cranberries, pomegranate juice, vanilla, cinnamon, very light spice, wood shavings, loamy soils, dry stones, and bright red fragrant florals. The mouthfeel is lean for Bordeaux. The tannins are lighter than dusty...so resolved. You can tell this is 70% Merlot & 20% Cab Franc as the cherries are singing in harmony better than the group America on the album "Horse with No Name" or for you kids "Fifth Harmony." The rest of the fruits are equally amazing, bright, lean, ripe; cherries, dark cherries, strawberries, cranberries & pomegranate juice. Vanilla, cinnamon, very light spice, wood shavings, loamy clay soils, dry, crushed, fine powdery rocks, dry stones & bright red roses/florals. This wine is pictured in the dictionary under pure elegance. The soft, round, acidity pours over the palate. The fruit driven finish goes on and on. I'm not sure this is going to continue to improve. I think it has about 5 years of good drinking left. Producer notes...Chateau Fleur Cardinale was purchased by Dominique and Florence Decoster in 2001. Prior to buying their first Bordeaux wine estate, they were in the fine porcelain and China business in the Limoges region of France. Chateau Fleur Cardinale is located next door to Valandraud & Rol Valentin & near Chateau Faugeres. Fleur Cardinale takes its name from the myriad of roses and other flowers that are planted around the estate. The 24.5-hectare St. Emilion vineyard of Fleur Cardinale is planted to 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc. The oldest Merlot vines are 60 years old and vineyard average is 40 years. The soils of their terroir are clay over limestone. Since 2013, the vineyard is farmed using organic, self-sustainable techniques. For the vinification, the juice undergoes a cold maceration at 5 degrees Celsius for 5 or 6 days. This is followed by alcoholic fermentation and a warm maceration for 2 to 3 weeks. All the pumping over is done by gravity, which avoids stirring the musts and stressing the yeasts. Chateau Fleur Cardinale is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised and grilled dishes. It is also good paired with Asian dishes, rich fish courses like tuna, mushrooms and pasta. Photos of, the Chateau and estate vines, beautiful fruit waiting to be delivered to the Chateau and pressed, the gate entrance and barrel room. The 05 vintage is as beautiful as advertised and drinking better than the 2000's I've had in the last two years. This 05 is a steal for just under $50 when I purchased it in 2007.
#SteakandClaretNight — 8 years ago

Margaret M

8.9

New Year's eve Dec 31,2015 at the Delrue's. — 9 years ago

Ksenia Popova

9.3

Light, refreshing, perfect balance of acid. — 10 years ago

Mats Andersson

9.8

Love this wine, always drink it when I can get my hands on a bottle — 11 years ago

Richard Groves

10

Pinot noir 2010-smooth finish -Maison Virginie-French — 12 years ago

Justin McGlothin

9.2

Paired with ground turkey and vegetables. Wine was great but didn't pair well. — 8 years ago

ed porter

8.9

Virginie Pillet — 9 years ago

Chris Durall

9.1

Celebrating 5 years with my sweetie!!! — 9 years ago

Peter Keohan

8.9

A bit one dimensional pleasant but lacking depth — 9 years ago

Olga Bell

9.3

House red, casually amazing, beef carpaccio, veggie lasagna, definitely not in Kansas. Definitely Belgium. — 10 years ago

Michael Delacruz

9.8

Drinking this and remembering my friend Sean, with gratitude. An excellent Barbaresco on a Sunday afternoon lunch with my friends Virginie and Olivier. Violets, licorice, incense and leather. Velvety tannins. Goes great with ahi tuna. — 11 years ago

with Sean

Joe Carroll

Owner/Wine Director Spuyten Duyvil, Fette Sau, St. Anselm & Gotham Artisanal Provisions

9.9

Toasted pineapple brioche — 12 years ago

Aimee Male

9.1

New find from Domaine des Braves. Régie sélection, older vines. First vintage 2015. Big, bold, chock full of black and purple fruit, tangy acidity, really long. Not a classic book in any sense but utterly delicious. — 8 years ago

John Van Trijp

9.7

This 2014 is just released. We tasted this baby en primeur 1,5 year ago at Valandraud during week of primeurs. Ooooh & Aaaaah all over the place! We were in love.....95-96/100 at that time....97+/100 in Bottle! What a sexy multi-layered beast! Walk....NO.....RUN to the shop and BUY!!! THE no.1 value for money wine in the world. 28 euro in Europe, a STEAL! — 9 years ago

David Lincoln

9.0

Flowers, grass, melon, clean. — 9 years ago

Ryan Brazell

Rise Over Run

9.5

I don't think I've had an example of this wine vinified by Virginie until now. In my humble opinion, quality is WAY UP now. Too many pre-2006 examples were mealy, oxidized and awkwardly alcoholic. I'm glad to see one of the world's most enviable vineyard sites skew toward quality rather than simply bio-d dogma (again -- humbly opining). — 9 years ago

Mark Freund

9.4

Perfect with oysters on the coast at Hog Island — 11 years ago

Christina White

9.7

Great for cured meats! — 11 years ago