2025 Château Fleur Cardinale Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé

EXCLUSIVE - EXPECTED SPRING 2028

Winery Château Fleur Cardinale

Château Fleur Cardinale is one of the most ambitious Grand Cru Classé estates in Saint-Émilion. Since 2024, the château has been owned by the Decoster family, who have been active in Saint-Émilion since 2001 and live on the estate. The second generation, Caroline and Ludovic Decoster, are now at the helm on a daily basis. Fleur Cardinale distinguishes itself through a terroir-driven approach, working on two opposite sides of the same limestone plateau. This focus on terroir expression, precision, and balance has firmly established Fleur Cardinale as a château that offers remarkable quality in strong years. More information about this winery can be found under the Winery tab.

Origin, terroir and vintage 2025

Château Fleur Cardinale is situated on the northern slopes of Saint-Émilion, on deep clay- and limestone soils of the so-called molasses du Fronsadais . This subsoil possesses an exceptional capacity to retain water, which offers a significant advantage, particularly in warm and dry years. In 2025, these deep soils helped keep the vines perfectly balanced without excessive drought stress, allowing for full ripening without loss of freshness. The Decoster family had been working with carefully tuned vineyard management since May, including selective leaf removal, green manure, and targeted tillage. Approximately 80% of the plots experienced only mild to moderate water stress, which, according to the château, resulted in extra refinement and terroir expression. At Fleur Cardinale, the 2025 vintage focuses less on power and more on precision, salinity, and texture.

Vineyards and grape varieties

Château Fleur Cardinale 2025 is composed of 77% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon . The vineyards cover over 24 hectares, with an average age of approximately 37 years and a planting density of 6,200 vines per hectare. The combination of ripe Merlot and a notable proportion of Cabernet Franc provides both texture and tension. Merlot delivers the juicy core of dark fruit and velvety texture, while Cabernet Franc brings extra lift, floral tension, and spiciness. The small addition of Cabernet Sauvignon adds some extra structure and length to the finish.

Harvest, vinification and aging

The grapes were harvested entirely by hand between September 8 and 22, 2025, in small crates. Selection was performed multiple times: first in the vineyard, then via densimetric selection, and finally manually after destemming. The grapes were transferred into the vats by gravity to preserve maximum finesse.

Vinification took place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and wooden barrels, with a short cold pre-fermentative maceration on the Merlot under bioprotection. Extraction was deliberately gentle via remontages in an aqueous phase, followed by gentle maceration at the end of fermentation. Malolactic fermentation took place partly in tanks and partly in barrels.

The aging displays great precision and nuance. The wine is aged in a combination of demi-muids, new and used barriques, large foudres, and even terracotta amphorae. This diverse approach ensures complexity without the wood dominating the wine. Moreover, the alcohol content remains remarkably elegant at approximately 13.8% .

Style, scent and taste

Château Fleur Cardinale 2025 opens refined and layered with violets, wild strawberry, blackberries, black cherries, and subtle notes of pepper and spices. Behind these emerge nuances of espresso, mocha, liquorice, dried herbs, and a light briny minerality. The aromatic purity is immediately striking.

According to Neal Martin, Fleur Cardinale is even the strongest wine of the Decoster family this year. He particularly praises the definition of the fruit, the sensuality, and the combination of red and black fruit with violets and iodine-like tension. Antonio Galloni, on the other hand, emphasizes the dark, energetic style with plums, mocha, espresso, and mineral undertones that provide extra depth.

On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied yet intense, with fine tannins and a remarkably refined structure. The opening is generous and subsequently grows in power without becoming heavy. The chalky subsoil lends the wine a chalky precision, while the long finish unfolds with black cherry, garrigue, subtle pepperiness, and a saline touch. James Suckling describes the wine as subtle, refined, and elegant, with notes of blackberry, cedarwood, and terracotta.

Summary of professional reviews

94-95 points – James Suckling: praises the refinement, subtlety, and notes of blackberry, cedar, and terracotta. 92-94 points – Neal Martin, Vinous: calls Fleur Cardinale the best wine of the Decoster family in 2025, with pure fruit expression, violets, iodine-like tension, and an elegant finish. 92-94 points – Antonio Galloni, Vinous: highlights the combination of dark fruit, mocha, espresso, spices, and briny minerality in an energetic, complex style. The full review texts can be found in the tab: Professional reviews.

Wine & Food and Discount

If available, you will find the official factsheet and additional information about this fine wine in the 'Attachments' tab. We will automatically send these to you upon ordering this wine. The wine is stored in our climate-controlled Wine Warehouse, and if you come to collect the wine, you will often receive a nice discount. You will see your discount immediately when you select 'Pick up' on the checkout page. We are located in Dordrecht, situated almost next to the A16 with ample parking. Click here for our address.

You can read full wine reviews from Parker, Suckling, Vinous, and Wine Spectator, among others. Need advice on finding the ideal wine for your dish? Click here for our exclusive Sommelier. Free for Grandcruwijnen customers. In the Food tab, you will find advice on what to look for for the right food and wine pairing, and a number of dish suggestions from our Sommelier.