The Decoster family has begun extending the cellars of Château Fleur Cardinale, including an immersive, poetic wine tourist experience that positions nature at the very heart of the design. On this symbolic day that Vinexpo Bordeaux opened, the extension work in the cellars of Château Fleur Cardinale has begun. It is expected to last for two years and will finish in time for Vinexpo 2021.
Over the years, the Fleur Cardinale estate has grown to reach an area of 23.5 hectares (58 acres), of which 21 (52 acres) are in production. The installations that enabled this wine to reach the category of Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé in 2006 need to be adapted to their production capacity and to be made more user-friendly. The works will be supervised by architect Bruno Legrand of BLA, who was also behind the initiative of building the first cellars with the support of consultants Au Long Cours. The restructuring of the buildings will be a natural continuation of the original project, and will blend discretely into the vineyard, highlighting the charms of nature.
The Decoster Family is one of the few Grand Cru Classé families to still live and work on their property. It is important for them to share their passion as winegrowers and to engage more and more with their customers, so they have decided to design a wine tourist experience inside the rebuild project, which is fun, poetic and fully immersive, guided by the basic principles of: Simplicity, Emotion, Sharing and Fun. Lastly, nature and biodiversity are at the heart of this project, thereby expressing the environmental commitments made by the family, they will even be a substantial part of the design of these new cellars.
So, this is a complete restructuring of the buildings in line with the soul and personality of the Decoster family, who want to turn them into a welcoming venue, where a warm, family, atmosphere reigns as if “at home”.
2001-2021 – 20 VINTAGES !
In 2001, Dominique and Florence Decoster and their children, former porcelain manufacturers with the company Haviland in Limoges, came to the middle of the Saint-Émilion vines to become Winegrowing Craftsmen at Château Fleur Cardinale. They loved nature and learnt by themselves, following the sound advice of the teams in place, other winegrowers and consultant oenologists. A first cellar with a streamlined, functional design contributed to optimising wine quality. In 2006, Château Fleur Cardinale was recognised for the quality of its produce and was elevated to the category of Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé. Today, this family of Winegrowing Craftsmen is represented by Ludovic and Caroline Decoster, who produced their first real 2018 vintage this year, and who are driving this new building project boldly and creatively. www.fleurcardinale.com