Château Fleur Cardinale: Vineyards
Château Fleur Cardinale is located on the limestone plateau close to the D243, directly east of the town of St Emilion. As already indicated, Château Valandraud and then Château de Pressac lie due south. Other near neighbours include Château Mangot which sits to the southeast, not too far from Château de Pressac.
Today the vineyard has grown to cover 23.5 hectares of the St Emilion appellation, divided between 49 parcels. The soils are typically clay over limestone, although soil surveys have identified seven different types and combinations of soil and subsoil, including some sections on deeper Calcaire à Astéries and some on Molasses du Fronsadais. The vines are planted at a density of 6,000 pieds per hectare, and the average age of the vineyard is 35 years. Today the proportion planted to Cabernet Sauvignon has contracted even further, at just 5%, with 75% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. I am also aware that the Decoster family have a 2-hectare parcel planted to white varieties, including Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Sauvignon Gris. This is an ongoing project and we should see a white cuvée released sometime between 2021 and 2023.
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