Chateau Fleur Cardinale 2022 Magnum (1,5l)

Product info about Chateau Fleur Cardinale 2022 Magnum (1,5l)

Château Fleur Cardinale 2022 Magnum is a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru with a presentation that immediately feels more deliberate than a standard bottle. The estate presents this 1.5-litre release as the Édition Extraordinaire for the vintage, with a Jules Verne theme on the label and a stated production of 2,000 magnums. In the Bordeaux selection at Drankenshop Broekmans, it stands out as a wine where format, vintage and presentation all add to the story.

The château has been owned by the Decoster family since 2001 and has held Grand Cru Classé status in Saint-Émilion since 2006. For the 2022 vintage, the blend is 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyards are planted on clay-limestone soils east of Saint-Émilion, on the northern slope of a limestone plateau. The estate points to this relatively cool position, close to woodland, as one of the reasons the wine retained freshness in a warm Bordeaux year.

The winemaking details underline a very careful approach: manual harvesting in small crates, strict sorting, gravity-fed transfer to the vats and fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. Maturation lasted 12 to 14 months, mainly in French oak barriques, with additional ageing in large foudres and a small proportion in amphorae. It gives the wine a serious Saint-Émilion frame: ripe dark fruit, firm architecture and a sense of freshness running through the vintage's natural richness.

The 2022 has received strong attention from established wine critics, with several scores in the mid-90s. Taken together with the magnum format, the limited edition and the fact that these are the last bottles, this is a Bordeaux for moments where the bottle itself may be part of the occasion.

The wine shows a deep colour and a clearly ripe dark-fruit core, with blackcurrant, blackberry, black cherry and plum at the centre. Around that come notes of graphite, crushed stone, menthol or mint, sweet spice, tobacco, espresso, liquorice and floral touches, with occasional earthy or truffle-like nuances.

On the palate it is medium-bodied to full-bodied, with ripe fruit concentration held in check by freshness. The tannins are described as silky to chalky, the texture polished, and the finish long, with mineral, mentholated and lightly saline accents.