Secret de Cardinale, Chateau Fleur Cardinale, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

These wines have thrown so much sediment, I really advise decanting & being prepared to sacrifice 1/4 of the bottle. What is left is chewy & muscular with terrific depth and lift. I think this easily has another 5 years and is in the middle of its prime.

2005 vintage

Although the palate is rich and clean, the nose on this seemed slightly oxidized. Possibly heat damaged from sitting in my car while sitting in Old Town. Still, this 20 year-old has gas left in the tank. Palate is juicy and full of black fruit, graphite, cedar, cassis. Tasty but simple.

2005 vintage

PnP. Porty touch of balsamic on the nose Plummy tobacco and balsamic notes. Short finish. Past it should I had it 10 years ago. Feel it was a ripe extracted style from its time that does not age well.

2006 vintage

Lovely. Dark cherries & plums on the nose, with a bit of anise & dried vanilla on the nose. Nice fruit on the palate, carrying its age nicely as it's plum skin & still robust black cherries with good bits of anise, black currant, hint of graphite & vanilla. Still decent acid & tannic grip; wonderful with a rich Beef Wellington. Two left from a six pack and I'll probably give the next 3-4 years before I check back in.

2005 vintage

A medium to full bodied red, with black cherry, plum, toast and spice on finish, a bit past prime, drink now. www.winelx.com

2006 vintage

Unfortunately I think we waited too late and n this one. Tasted a bit port like and oxidized. Lost a lot of fruit character and what was left wasn’t that present. Drink up, maybe yours isn’t as far gone as mine!

2005 vintage

Subtle and pleasant bouquet without the usual Bordeaux barnyard aromas. Harmonious and balanced wine with good concentration of fruit. Medium to short length.

2006 vintage

This was an interesting bottle of wine. I've been sitting on it a while, and I served it blind to a few friends to enjoy wine. I knew it would be a bit modern - and that was the case, the fruit was fairly ripe. But the level of tannin was still quite high. I'm also not sure the varietal characteristic came through much. Yes, I did get a slight hint of the florals GV hinted at. At the end …

2005 vintage

Still doing well. Plumb black & dark red fruit on the nose (red plum, ripe black cherries) alongside dried vanilla bean & hints of rocky earth. Full mouthfeel with rich fruit, balanced by those barrel tones and a great rocky/graphite streak on the mid and finish. Tannins are there alongside the gravelly acid. Still has at least 10 years, call it early peak today

2005 vintage

Double decanted 30 mins before burgers. Bordeaux and Burgers night. Poured dark to rim, very little bricking. Tannins and taste like melted chocolate- very pure Merlot. Incredible wine at this point in it's life. Last bottle. Will not improve much, drink up.

2005 vintage

Pop and pour. Opened quickly. Drank over a couple of hours. Smooth, well integrated tannins. Great mid palate fruit. Nice finish. Happy I have another bottle

2005 vintage

This was very nice, pop and poured, with the bottle being drank over the course of a couple hours... nose of light red fruit, a little soil and maybe even a tad black pepper..? Pretty easy drinking at this point, I would not wait much longer on these if you have any..

2006 vintage

Decanted and drank over two days, and I liked it better this time, as did the wife. Not an over powering wine, pretty easy drinking now, little veggies and dark fruit in the mix.

2005 vintage

Nose - blackberry, coal. Great nose . Smells like st Emilion or Priorat Mouth - powerful yet clean dark fruits. Nice typicity. I quite like this. Last bottle

2005 vintage

I thought based on comments it would be disappointing, but at blind tasting with Somm candidates 4 of 7 thought it was Ausone or Angelus. YMWV (Will)

2005 vintage

Think I bought this because the Wine Library / Gary Vee was flogging it. Stored perfectly for 10+ years, what a dud, made of leftover products. Creosote, tar, plum notes and unforgiving tannins. Kirk called it. I'm glad this is no longer part of my cellar.

2005 vintage

This showed a little better than when I had it two years ago. Still large-scaled dark red fruits on the nose, intermingled with a bit of vanilla, but the herb tone & hint of spice are more noticeable (especially with a few hours of air). Rich on the palate with a touch of creme de cassis on the backend, it's generally large-scaled but shows a touch of graphite mixed with moderate acid and supple, ample tannin. This still feels quite …

2005 vintage

This was decanted for 3+ hours before being served...to be honest this was a real let-down. It doesn't really taste like bordeaux at all...it's a bit of a new-world-esque train wreck. The tannins are firm, but grainy and the acidity is medium, but theres a note to this wine that as others note is a bit like balsamic or worcestershire sauce. The 100% new oak did not do this wine any favors. Glad I only bought one bottle...and glad it's …

2005 vintage

Dark fruit on the nose, very light fig complexion in there, vanilla, can taste that bit of menthol-cough-syrupy-licorice thing going I read about, can't nail it down, but its there. Mouth feel, fruit caries, oaky, and its a bit more astringent than I thought it would be. Its not the acid, maybe the alcohol off balance, carries from mid to finish. Wasn't feeling it

2005 vintage

A dash better than last time. Not as many stewed fruits but the oak is just prominent. There's a licorice note that reminds me of cheap Rhone, not Bordeaux. Smooth and full on the palate, with medium-high extract and medium acidity, high alcohol. It tastes like modern Barolo towards the finish with a dry dusty finish.

2006 vintage

Coravin taste: Alas, our last bottle seems slightly off, with more plum flavors than the other wines. Perhaps it is aging faster due to a slightly-faulty cork? Still good with roast chicken.

2006 vintage

Strangely fruit forward Bordeaux with rich, dark blackberry fruit and terrific complexity with notes of licorice, cassis and hint of forest floor. The Merlot really shows off in this wine and while not for everyone, really enjoyed this style.

2005 vintage

Lots of mocha and blackberry plus some caramel, spice box, cassis, tobacco and earth. We paired this with grilled burgers with Roth Buttermilk gorgonzola (a raw cheese) and it was a perfect pairing. Drink now but has some time. 315 cases of this made, aged in 100% French oak. We paid $21 retail. Great QPR. These were $50-$60 on release -- although they didn't sell in 2008 - 2009 at that price.

2006 vintage

Initially lots of mocha plus some blackberry. With a little air, I found notes of sweet tannins, fig, caramel, spice box, mocha, and blackberries. I paired this with roast herbal chicken but that was not the right pairing. I would try roast lamb next time. When I purchased it I thought this was the second wine, but it is actually a special cuvée of 100% merlot. We paid $15 / bottle (plus shipping and fees) and it represents good value …

2006 vintage

Took to a Bordeaux tasting. This was amazingly youthful.

2005 vintage

Consistent with previous notes. Still has some time to go.

2006 vintage

A little overdeveloped. Fruits are starting to taste overripe. Something that wasn't the case three years ago. This has been stored perfectly which worries me on the long run. Careful.

2006 vintage

Very pruny! Off bottle.

2006 vintage

Earth, plum, tobacco, spring flowers. Med heavy weight with some cocoa and a pretty long finish. I thought this was pretty superb on it's own and it kept evolving in the glass. Bone in filet was the perfect match. I'm glad I waited and think it's at its peak.

2005 vintage

The Rotating Dinners, I.7: 2005 Bordeaux Blends (Chicago, IL) : Served double-blind (but it was known this was a 2005 Bordeaux blend). The odd one out in the flight, in that this was much darker and heavier than the other two wines. This showed some black cherry (and cough syrup), as well as fairly heavy oak use. Full-bodied and heavy, with chewy tannins. I guessed left bank.

2005 vintage

Rotating Dinner Series- 2005 Blind Bordeaux Blends from around the world (The Bristol, Chicago IL) : Nose: There is a dark fruited base to the nose with dark red berries, licorice, violets, red cherries, cranberries, some oak, and cranberries. There is good depth and while the oak is there, it isn't too prominent. Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins are still quite youthful with a chewiness to them along with licorice, dark red berries, violets, …

2005 vintage

Very good nose of cassis, tobacco and a bit of chocolate lead to a medium body showing both red and darker fruit with a hint of bell pepper. Finishes with nice tannin lasting 30 seconds. This really put on weight as night progressed. I recommend at least a 2 hour decant. I suspect this has another decade of life.

2006 vintage

Dirty red fruits on the nose, loads of raisin, chewy tannin, full palate and good length. Not the best complexity but drinking very well now and over the next 5-10 years. Fruit is mostly raisin so won't get a lot better IMO

2005 vintage

Almost there, just a little more time until peak. Nose of plums, black cherry, tobacco, and cedar with nice florals. On the palate, rich and dense with plum, cherry, currants, and herbs. Long finish with plenty of grip and great balance.

2006 vintage

Very nice wine - needed a day though to get better. First day very chalky and dusty - day two a pleasure. Could certainly benefit from a few more years in the cellar.

2005 vintage

This bottle showed remarkably last night, very true to bordeaux with just great elements - fragrant nose, lush mouthfeel, long finish. Plummy fruit, pencil lead, earthy notes - fantastic.

2006 vintage

nose - earth and muted oak mouth - powerful dark plum, good acidity, and nicely concentrated. a hint of cocoa on the mild oaky finish. all in all in good balance, a wine with some muscle, though not particularly finessed. try again in 10 years (on a whim)

2005 vintage

Strong dark fruit on the nose and initial taste. Earthy, woody, spice, after 10 seconds or so. Chewy, but not too puckery. Agree this will age for some time, but it is very good now. Will try to hold off on next bottle for a few years.

2005 vintage

Nose: mushroom, earthy Palate: alcohol apparent, vegetal After 15 minures: smooth, dark berries, meaty, very well blended

2005 vintage

Very solid wine, smooth, soft, and pleasant, drinking well. Not a knockout, but really no qualms. No detailed notes...

2006 vintage

This is drinking well right now, I don't think it has the structure to last past another 5 years, but I could be wrong. Either way I'd drink this up over the next few years.

2006 vintage

Aromas and flavors of juicy plum and black cherry. A very lush wine, bigger than I expected. Gripping tannins with well balanced acidity. Some secondary earthy flavors starting to emerge. Will wait another few years for the next bottle.

2006 vintage

Really rounding into shape with a nose of plum, black cherry, mocha, and vanilla with hints of leather. On the palate, rich and full with plum, red currant, black cherry, mocha, bits of spice. Long finish with sturdy tannins and great balance. Drink or hold. Great value.

2006 vintage

I could only stay away for about 5 months, this is a great value in Bordeaux. Similar notes as previously written, still young and could use some more time but very good now with a more cocoa/chocolate flavor coming through now.

2006 vintage

Second bottle, and the more I drink this, the better I like it. Just absolutely fantastic, so well-balanced, complex, but note: this is extremely young as the firm tannins on the back-end suggest. This is one of the best value-priced ($30) bordeaux wines I have ever tasted. Buy by the case.

2006 vintage

This is really shaping up to be a phenomenal bottle of right-bank bordeaux. I tasted the '06 La Fleur Cardinale last week and think this edges it out slightly (although I can't describe exactly why) and costs $10 less. Dark fruit, chocolate, some vanilla, and a very firm tannic finish. This needs time, and I think it'll be over the top good in 3-4 more years. I'm writing this at 20 minutes after opening and will revisit after a few …

2006 vintage

Decanted for 3 hours before consuming. Great nose of spice, cassis and cigar box. On the palate there is a lot of dark fruit, asian spice and toasted oak. The tannins are chewy at this stage but well balanced overall. I'd give this another 3-5 years before it will start coming into it's own. Good wine for the price.

2006 vintage

Great example of a textbook Bordeaux. This is how good merlot can be. Great nose, body, excellent structure, awesome finish. Note to self: buy more.

2006 vintage

Medium bodied and incredible balance

2006 vintage

Old world. Needs some airtime.

2006 vintage

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Secret de Cardinale, Chateau Fleur Cardinale, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

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