CHÂTEAU FLEUR CARDINALE

An extreme wine, the 2015 Fleur Cardinale pushes ripeness to the edge. The flavors are inky, jammy and intense, with plenty of blackberry preserve, menthol, licorice, plum, dark spice and chocolate notes. The finish is broad, sweeping and ample. There is not much subtlety here, rather Fleur Cardinale is a wine of pure opulence and intensity. I saw some variation across the four samples I tasted. If the bottled wine captures a bit of freshness, the 2015 may turn out to be outstanding, but some samples were decidedly pruney and overripe. Rating: 87-90 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)

On the nose here I find sweetly ripe and freshly crushed black cherry and damson fruit, with a little rose-petal perfume to it. A very harmonious beginning on the palate, showing a delightfully textured weight building through the middle, but always maintaining that sense of lightly grained freshness. A pretty wine, with a dusty perfume, ripe tannins which gently coat the palate, and fresh acidity. The finish is long, with a fading core of ripe tannins. A very nice, restrained composition. Rating: 15.5-16.5/20 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2016)

Shows very pretty fruit, with boysenberry and raspberry confiture notes rolling along, picking up hints of anise and fruitcake. There’s lush toast and velvety structure, but the energy is good enough to let it all play out harmoniously. Rating: 90—93 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2016)

This is tight and very focused with gorgeous blackberry, blueberry and stone aromas and flavors. Such purity of fruit here. Full and very, very polished. Compacted and compressed. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Mar 2016)