2012 Chateau Fleur Cardinale

A blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Outstanding colour displaying an inky black core with a deep dark purple hue. Pronounced aromas of ripe blackcurrants overlay a background of inky earth like characters, a hint of black olive, cedar, light tobacco and spice. Medium to full bodied the palate possesses rich inky blackcurrant and dark cherry flavours followed by earthy cigar box like characters, black olive and spicy cedar. Still relatively tight knit with a firmish tannin backbone imparting some grip on the finish. Long aftertaste of earthy blackcurrant, some inkiness, black olive, cigar box and spice.
Cellar 8-10 years.
Alc 14%

Other Reviews….

The flagship wine from the Decoster family, this blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon has been a hugely successful wine since they acquired this 58-acre estate and revolutionized the level of quality. This is consistently one of the best St.-Emilions and over-achieving for its classification.
The 2012 has pure, striking aromatics of blueberry, black raspberry, minerals and flowers. Medium to full-bodied, ripe and multi-dimensional, with a beautiful texture, this is stunning wine that completely dominates its classification and over-delivers in terms of quality and potential longevity. It should drink well for 15 or more years. Yields were a modest 34 hectoliters per hectare from an unusually late harvest – October 22 to November 2.
93 Points
Robert M. Parker, Jr. - The Wine Advocate #218, April 2015

This full-bodied beauty exhibits a dense opaque purple color in addition to copious notes of creme de cassis, kirsch, licorice and incense. It should drink well for 15-20 years. This will be a sleeper of the vintage.
A superstar of the vintage (not surprising given how successful the proprietors, the Decoster family, have been over the last decade or more), this 58-acre vineyard located near the village of St.-Etienne de Lisse enjoyed yields of 34 hectoliters per hectare. The harvest took place extremely late — between October 22 and November 3. The final blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon came in at 13.5% natural alcohol. Every detail, both in the vineyard and the winery, is looked after by the meticulous owners. This will be a sleeper of the vintage as the Decosters have been among the most realistic proprietors in Bordeaux when it comes to pricing their wines. 92-95 Robert Parker – The Wine Advocate #206 April 2013