Château Fleur Cardinale begins organic conversion

St Emilion grand cru Château Fleur Cardinale has begun its conversion to organic farming which is due to be completed by 2024.

Owners Caroline and Ludovic Decoster made the announcement, saying it was the next step after 10 years of “painstaking work” in the vineyards to improve the estate’s vine-growing practices and reduce the overall environmental impact – a process which while long has apparently brought them  “great personal satisfaction” and, they say, much improved wines.

The couple said: “Now that our vineyard has been completely restructured, we have every confidence in the success of this conversion to organic farming, which will be the next logical step following on from everything that we have undertaken at Château Fleur Cardinale and Château Croix Cardinale in terms of viticultural sustainability.”

With a conversion period of three years, it is hoped by 2024 that the entirety of the vineyards and both red and white varieties will be fully certified.

This next stage is being conducted in parallel with the estate’s participation with the French corporate social responsibility programme, which they committed to in 2020, and a reforestation project in partnership with Reforest Action.