Château Sociando-Mallet 2009

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Elegant nose, with notes of blackcurrant, the palate is straightforward and precise, between fruit and spice. Powerful tannins punctuate this long finish.

About the domain :

A key figure in the Médoc, Jean Gautreau is one of the architects of the revival of its crus. Respected by his peers, he has raised Sociando-Mallet to the level of a Classified Growth, greatly enlarging the vineyard since his purchase in 1969. Today, of the property's 85 hectares, some 50 are at the level of a third or even second cru classé. Assisted by his daughter, Jean Gautreau is one of the few owners to supervise the vinification himself. These are benchmark wines, with an inimitable feel and identity. Médoc wines to the core, they are always full of finesse. The estate now has a gîte, Villa Sociando, at Port de la Maréchale, 3 kilometers from the property.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the wine:

While the terroir of this renowned château is excellent, with gravelly soils overlooking the estuary, it would be nothing without the winemaker's touch. The majority of Cabernet (especially Cabernet Sauvignon) is used to produce a great wine for laying down. This dark-hued 2009 is no exception. Announced by a rich bouquet of leather, wild berries and hints of toast, it reveals an elegant, round and smooth body that will enable it to be enjoyed from 2016-2017 onwards.

About the domain :

In the 17th century, it was a noble land belonging to a Basque family, the Sossiando family. Confiscated during the French Revolution, it has had several owners. At the end of the last century, Jean Gautreau brought its potential to light. A broker with Miailhe, he set up his own company in the late 1950s to sell wines in the Benelux countries. A customer asked him to find an estate with a fine terroir. He discovered Sociando-Mallet: overlooking the estuary, a superb gravelly hilltop on a clay subsoil. When the customer didn't follow up, he bought it for himself in 1969, restructured it, enlarged it (originally 5 ha, now 82) and built a winery. Unclassified, it is one of the appellation's most important crus, now run by Sylvie, daughter of Jean Gautreau, who died in 2019.

Guide des Vins Gault & Millau

About the wine:

The velvety feel of this 2009 is remarkable, admittedly in an opulent, rich style, but very well made. A very accessible wine, full of charm, with stewed fruit and spices.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

This impeccable estate has produced here a fearsomely tannic wine which, even in this very opulent and flamboyant vintage, will need a minimum of 10 to 15 years in the cellar, to keep for 40 years or more. Opaque purplish-black in color, with notes of crushed stone, white flowers, graphite, blueberry and blackcurrant, the wine is tightly wound. Medium- to full-bodied, it's all there, set for a long life.

About the domain :

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

The 2009 has retained a lovely freshness of fruit, with a dense, very ripe texture and, once again, plenty of tannic volume.

About the domain :

Sociando-Mallet is a brand with a strong reputation that has captured the hearts of true wine-lovers. Many of the vintages from this lovely property in the northern Médoc are equivalent to very good crus classés. Jean Gautreau, who spent half a century building Sociando-Mallet, passed away at the end of 2019, leaving the torch to his daughter Sylvie. Widely distributed in France and Belgium, the cru remains a safe bet and, above all, always offers optimal value for money. A vast replanting project was initiated some ten years ago, forcing the cru to produce more "merlot-like" wines. They have more roundness, but probably less breed. We no longer find the magical brilliance of 1982, 1990 or 1996, which remain benchmarks.

James Suckling