Château Fleur Cardinale Édition Rugby Spirit 2021

A collector’s edition mixing the world of rugby with the elegance of a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé

The estate

Grand Cru Classé, Château Fleur Cardinale reveals all the characteristics of the terroir of Saint-Émilion, an emblematic appellation on Bordeaux’s Right Bank.

The vineyard

Château Fleur Cardinale is a Saint-Emilion wine made from a 22-hectare vineyard. The vines are 30 years old on average and are planted on a real mosaic of terroirs with 7 different soils and sub-soils of a clay-limestone nature. The launch of the conversion to organic farming for the entire growing area took place in 2021, while this vintage also marks the end of work to modernise the property's technical and reception facilities.

The wine

"It’s at a sporting event where the strongest emotions are felt" - with this motto, Caroline and Ludovic Decoster present this new Château Fleur Cardinale collector’s edition.

Every collector’s edition tells a vintage's individual story, and this fourth edition highlights the perserverance and spirit of sharing and community shown by the estate's team throughout 2021. This was a year where an unstable climate was something like an unpredictable match against Nature.

Celebrating 20 years of Château Fleur Cardinale, this Edition Rugby Spirit is released, uniquely in magnum format, in a designer box which proudly showcases the codes of rugby on its sliding lid and on the bottle’s label.

The vintage

Although the year 2021 was drier than previous years, it was marked by two major climatic episodes. The frost in April had an impact of 15 to 20% on production, and the heavy rainfall in June (180 mm) led to very high mildew pressure and a 30% loss of yield. Although July was relatively cool, the end of the summer period and the beginning of autumn were particularly mild and ensured that the quality potential was preserved.

Winemaking and ageing

The manual harvest in small crates was followed by meticulous sorting in the vineyard, by scanning and then manually. Vatting through gravity with a 5hl vat. Cold pre-fermentation maceration. Vinification in thermo-regulated truncated cone-shaped vats and in 20 barrels of 500 litres. Vatting time of 20 days. Pumping over by forced air.

Aged on the lees for 13 months in French oak barrels, 83% of which were new, 12% of which were single-vineyard barrels and 5% in terracotta amphorae.

Blend

Merlot (60%)
Cabernet franc (30%)
Cabernet sauvignon (10%).

Characteristics and tasting tips for Edition Rugby Spirit 2021 from Château Fleur Cardinale

Tasting

Colour
The wine has a beautiful purple colour, adorned with violet highlights.

Nose
The nose mingles with great finesse bright fruit scents with subtle floral notes.

Palate
A fresh attack comes before a perfectly structured palate. Throughout the tasting, the palate combines finesse and salinity, underlined by elegant tannins. The finish is long-lasting, releasing delicious fresh blackcurrant scents.