Château Fleur Cardinale Saint-Émilion Grand Cru (2016)

A land registry document dating back to 1819 reveals the existence of vineyard plots and buildings in the place called “Thibeaud”, where the current winery is located. The first evidence of an estate producing its own wine here dates back to the 1920s-1930s, following the marriage of Pierre Sarthou-Moutengou and Jeanne Marie Grué, a descendent of two families of vineyard owners.  The Château was called “Clos Bel-Air” back in those days.

In May 2001, Dominique and his wife Florence decided to buy Château Fleur Cardinale from the Asséo family who had owned the estate since 1982. The family was drawn to the quality of life here and the welcome they received from those in the wine trade. To succeed in this new project, they felt it would be best to live on the estate, so they decided to take up permanent residence at Château Fleur Cardinale along with their three children: Ludovic, Matthew and Lucie.

As soon as they arrived in 2001, Florence and Dominique decided to keep the team that had been working there for several years and surround themselves with knowledgeable advisers: an agricultural engineer, an oenologist and their neighbour Jean-Luc Thunevin, the owner of Château Valandraud, who is now the estate’s general consultant.

Aware of the potential improvements that could be made to the estate, they together defined priority investments in the vineyard, including uprooting the plots that did not meet their standards and reducing yields. They acquired new equipment and soon decided to build a new winery, inaugurated in 2002, allowing them to carry out plot-by-plot fermentation and ensure the traceability of each batch.

These strategic decisions earned Château Fleur Cardinale the rank of Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé in 2006.

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