TN 2004 Ch. Fleur Cardinale: For the Sun-Kissed Beach Ladies

[OrlandoRobert]

Coconut Oil.

On the nose, on the palate. Overwhelming, frankly.

As much as I enjoyed and bought deeply the 2005, this 2004 is a total let-down. Much better on release, but the fruit is starting to dry, the tannins are drying and the wood and coconut oil is coming to the fore.

Just a bad, modernized wine that tried to do something more than the vintage commanded.

Dump it.

And to think I gave my wife my last glass of a 2010 Baudry Chinon from a bottle popped last night . . . .

[robertgoulet]

Banana boat in a bottle.... I have no idea why anyone wastes their time on this '04 vintage!! 1

[DavidG]

Sounds like way too much oak?

[JonB]

Interesting. I have a few bottles remaining, but have been trying 1 bottle a year since 2008 and my impression was that the wine was still closed (e.g. Oak, no fruit). Maybe that's the best this wine gets? I'm still hoping rp had it right.

[OrlandoRobert]

Interesting. I have a few bottles remaining, but have been trying 1 bottle a year since 2008 and my impression was that the wine was still closed (e.g. Oak, no fruit). Maybe that's the best this wine gets? I'm still hoping rp had it right.

Hopefully you will have a better experience. My bottle, purchased on release, was not closed. It was just a bad wine. I recall on release it showed riper fruit, sweeter tannins, both of which helped to balance a bit the heavy hand on the oak. Now, it's just oak juice to me. Quite unfortunate. Alarmed me enough to consider trying an '05 again.

I'm getting closer to the point of moving away from St. Emilion except for producers like Figeac. While I acknowledge a subtle palate shift on my part over the last 10 years, during this same timeframe IMHO, many St. Em. producers have gone hardcore modern. I recently peeked in on a few highly rated '05 St Ems and was not too happy with what I was seeing, whereas my left banks were dead-on solid.

[robertgoulet]

U might be correct robert....destieux is an excellent example...it went moulin rouge on me

[Claudius2]

Hmmm
Ive got 6 bottles of this wine and not tried yet.
Have some concerns abut 04s at the moment -drank a 04 Lascombes on Christmas Day that was a let down and hasn't developed as expected.
May dump at auction.

06 is a much better vintage that 04 from my samples so far.

[OrlandoRobert]

Claudius -

Fortunately I do not have many '04 St Ems, but will note that the '04 left banks I have checked on over the past year are quite nice: SHL, Leoville Poyferre, Alter Ego, etc. I have the '04 Lascombes as well, but have not popped one. Pavie, by the way, is damn fine in '04, so not saying there is a pox on all modern St. Ems.

[robert goulet]

Last last '04 st. Emilion i tasted was barde haut, def. was not very expressive

[OrlandoRobert]

Last last '04 st. Emilion i tasted was barde haut, def. was not very expressive

The '08 version was not that impressive either, quite hollow on the mid-palate. I bought a slew of 375s from this vintage, thinking it a drinking vintage, and have some hits and some misses. Barde Haut was a miss.