Description: Chateau Sociando Mallet wines are weighty, firm and well-structured clarets that are typically rich in fruit and have excellent ageing potential. As Jean Gautreau says: "I have a superb terroir which I want to express in the wine. I try to make a classic Médoc for long keeping."
Robert Parker: Wine Advocate # 188. Apr 2010. Reviewer : Robert Parker. Ferocious tannins are not unusual for Sociando Mallet, but I was surprised that in a vintage that produced exceptionally tannic, but ripe wines, the Sociando Mallet tannins were atypically austere. Nevertheless, the wine boasts huge concentration along with an inky/purple color, a full-bodied, powerful palate, and a long finish. Excellent purity, density, and minerality are present in this cuvee, and it is capable of lasting 30-40 years. This estate is situated on some of the finest terroir of the Haut-Medoc, near Calon-Segur in St.-Estephe. (Tasted two times.) Drink: 2010 - 2050.
Jancis Robinson: Published : 07-Apr-2010. Deep purple. Scented and very well integrated but not as intensely sweet as most St-Estèphes. Hint of yeast extract. Very interesting! Lots of vitality. Lightly drying on the finish but with real character and restraint – just the merest hint of whisky barrels. When to drink : 2017 to 2030.
Wine Spectator: Updated: April 15, 2010. Love the nose of currant and mineral, with hints of mint. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a medium finish. Tannic. Maybe too much. But I think it's going to come out excellent. —J.S.
Stephen Tanzer: May/Jun 10. By Ian D'Agata. Deep ruby. Blackcurrant, licorice, underbrush and smoky oak on the inviting nose, with hints of tobacco and minerals. Dense and chewy in the mouth, with brooding, ripe flavors of blackberry, dark plum and smoky, chocolatey oak given lift by firm acidity. Finishes with subtle length but its assertive tannins will require at least several years of patience once this wine is released. I'm a big fan of this overachieving property, which for my money usually produces one of the top five or six values in all of Bordeaux That said, I wonder if this chunky wine has the concentration to surpass top recent releases. (By the way, the '99 Sociando is delicious right now.)
Decanter: Steven Spurrier, Decanter.com, 17 pts - "Dense colour, floral and quite intense nose, good depth of fruit, elegant and long with character and grip and a very good future. Drink 2014-20."
Chris Kissack, thewinedoctor.com, 16.5-17.5+pts - "Another vibrantly coloured wine, dark core, bright purple rim. On the nose, dark but vibrant black fruits, with a well defined crunchy and crystalline character. The palate has a fresh style, with good linear fruit, which covers the structure well. The tannins are well matched, although it is showing quite a bit of raw wood at present. The alcohol has quite an impact on the palate as well. A good wine with good composition although it will need time. The consistently high quality that comes out of this estate is remarkable."
Neal Martin, erobertparker.com, 91-93pts - "Tasted at a negociant. The Sociando ’09 has an intense blackberry and briary scented nose, touches of black plum and a hint of fruitcake. The palate is immediate enjoyable: very well balanced, finer tannins than I was expecting, delineated and focused with some lovely black, tar/cedar fruit towards the finish. Good length and precision. This is a great Sociando for the vintage. Tasted March 2010.
Vinification: The harvest is manual, and once in the cuvier the fruit is fermented in both concrete and stainless-steel vats, with temperatures up to 33°C to encourage the extraction of tannins. The wine is then macerated for three weeks, before going into oak, 100% for the grand vin.
