2012 Chateau Fleur Cardinale Saint-Emilion

Matching 93pt St.-Émilion for the price of average Napa Cabernet

In early Spring 2015, we tasted barrel samples of 127 Classified Growth and Right Bank 2014s. Negociants, importers, and collectors were still trying to get their arms around the vintage, but most of the buzz on La Place de Bordeaux was about the guy who never made the trip.

In a letter that sent shivers down the spines of the Bordelais, Robert Parker announced that, for the first time in over 30 years, he wouldn’t be tasting the 2014 en primeur. That news, coupled with the fact that many negociants are still sitting on sizable stocks of 2011s and 2012s, not to mention with en primeur commitments for the highly touted 2014s — at least for the next year, there are phenomenal bargains to be had.

None more so than Parker’s “sleeper of the vintage,” St.-Émilion’s 2012 Château Fleur Cardinale. Antonio Galloni, once Parker’s protégé, called it “a beautiful example of modern Saint-Émilion.” Both Galloni’s Vinous and Parker’s Wine Advocate raved about the 2012 Fleur Cardinale, which, like all the top performers of the vintage, benefitted from the excellent drainage offered by St.-Émilion’s limestone-rich soils.

Harvested very late, between October 22nd and November 3rd, yields were just 37 hectoliters per hectare, or approximately 2.75 tons per acre (compared to an average of 5 tons/acre on the Napa Valley floor!). Opaque purple, with lavish aromas of crushed black and red fruits. Broad, juicy, and perfectly sleek, the core is packed with blackberry. Parker described “pure, striking aromatics of blueberry, black raspberry, minerals and flowers,” calling the 2012 Fleur Cardinale “a superstar of the vintage.” Drinking beautifully now and will through 2032.

93 points from Parker and Galloni. Just $49.99 — the price of a run-of-the-mill 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Only 480 bottles.  

P.S. Rarely have we heartily encouraged members to buy solid cases of a $49.99 wine. Today, we’re not just encouraging you: We’re TELLING you! Shipping included on 4.

• ABV 13.50%
• Enjoy right away
• 80% Merlot15% Cabernet Franc5% Cabernet Sauvignon