Chateau Sociando-Mallet, Haut-Medoc

Appearance: medium(+) garnet Nose: Medium intensity, tertiary, developed. Red plum, redcurrant, rosehip. Green capsicum, nightshade leaf, gooseberry. Cedar, pencil shavings/graphite, tobacco, sweet spice. Bergamot, lavender, dried rose petals. Wet leaves, forest floor, Eucalyptus leaves. Palate: dry, medium(+) acidity, medium tannins (well rounded and integrated), medium alcohol (12,5%), medium bodied. Red plum, redcurrant, rosehip. Green capsicum, nightshade leaf, gooseberry. Cedar, pencil shavings/graphite, tobacco, sweet spice. Bergamot, lavender, dried rose petals. Wet leaves, forest floor, Eucalyptus leaves. Conclusions: Outstanding. This is properly …

1991 vintage

Bouchonnée!

2019 vintage

D+0h: a tiny bit of deposit both in the filter and in the bottle, smells of raspberry D+3h: very corked, not drinkable, a pity.

2013 vintage

What a delicious wine. It's drinking so well at the moment. What a surprise.

2001 vintage

At a small Sociando Mallet vertical at Hawksmoor Guidhall, London. Ash and tobacco, restrained with some alluring signature green notes, like the 1996 it is cool and classy with plenty of time in hand, and in a really good place, but with a bit less mid-palate oomph, which in no way detracts from this wine and accentuates its sense of finesse. The quintessential Sociando Mallet?

2001 vintage

Small Sociando Supper (Hawksmoor Guildhall, London, UK) : Gorgeous nose here. Like a classy beef pho there is that rich consommé quality with ginger, lemongrass in the margins. Some incense / joss stick ash as well. Someone around the table suggests touches of cumin and coriander too, agree. Palate is delightful; cool fruited on entry with cassis and cedar this builds through the mid palate with some spiced plum and Earl Grey tea on the finish. Just gorgeous. My wine …

2001 vintage

Chewy mid-weight with a touch of green stem. Nice cooler vintage bordeaux. Paired great with a strip steak. Enjoy over the next 2-3 years.

2013 vintage

L'effet millésime se fait sentir ici. Rustique et unidimensionnelle. On passe!

2013 vintage

Needs another 2 to 3 years of bottle age minimum to help resolve the tannins.

2019 vintage

This is a very balanced wine. Once poured it needs a bit of time to open in the glass, but then it gives great fruit. High acidity, still fine tannins. It won't hurt to let this age more, but I don't think it's gaining anything.

2001 vintage

5 years since my last bottle and time has done it good. Popped and poured at cellar temp. Still dark colored, no signs of bricking. Classic Bordeaux nose of green pepper, asphalt, tobacco and black fruit. Tannins fully resolved, all about crunchy acidity, tarry black fruit and a hint of vegetal spice. Not a blockbuster, but a very proper traditional claret. Not sure it will improve from here, but still has several good years left.

2001 vintage

My first thought was "this is very lean". There's definitely a vegetal/green pepper side to this but with a bit of time this wine opens up and has a really nice mouthfeel with wonderful rich fruit and a luxurious finish. Drink now.

2001 vintage

Good early indications … would recommend no less than 90 minute decant … potential to be a mid-90 pointer with some time … glad to have a case to see how it evolves.

2019 vintage

I wanted to really like this, in the past I have really liked this, but it’s just too dilute, just a little too weedy, just a little too boring to thrill. Perhaps these are just past their prime. Pleasant, ready, nothing to write home about. 88 pts Day 2: this is much better now. Spicy, smoky, herb-infused nose and a light yet sweet palate redolent of lavender and the house-signature purple fruits. Phew, this is what I was expecting, and …

2001 vintage

Quick decant Quite good Lovely aged Bord that still has decent fruit to give wonderful balanced mouthfeel

2001 vintage

A splendid showing, exactly the spot where the sun is fading and the terroir is coming up. This is the, for me, the perfect balance of the two and showing perfectly the superb vintage of 2001, which for me is in the shadow of the 2000 for the wrong reasons. This is refined, balanced and terroir oriented; spiced, earthy and yet the healthy fruits remain in balance seducing your palate with awakening freshness. It was from a magnum bottle, but …

2001 vintage

Part of a couple of cases of Bordeaux wines purchased in Fall of 2024. Good deep color with some lightness on the edges. Nose shows some briar patch, cedar and a bit of licorice. The palate displays strong minerality, dark and brooding cherry notes, and cassis. The tannins are deep and drying in the mouth. For a $22-30 price tag, it’s a long term proposition.

2019 vintage

klassisch, Médoc-typisch, auch das Bouquet Schön gereift, sehr gute Balance. Kein Holz mehr, nichts Grünes warme, weiche Früchte (rote und schwarze); noch kaum Terziäres gute, mittlere Länge. Bleibt ein Aufstiegskandidat zum 5.(?) Gewächs

2001 vintage

12,5%, abgerundete Tannine, schöne Balance, immer noch etwas Frucht, easy drinking.

2001 vintage

A delightful Sociando-Mallet, and fully ready for drinking, this is at the top of its game, and showing no signs of decline. The estate is so dependable, and out drinks a lot of growth wines, while maintaining its value. 93+

2001 vintage

zügig gereift. Viel Depot. Dichteres Rubinrot Frische verflogen. dunkle Früchte in der Nase. Primäres nicht mehr intensiv. Brombeere, schwarze JoHi-Beere. Terziäre Noten. Holz (trocken, gelagert, nicht grün), etwas Zimt, Zartbitter-Schokolade, Gewürze trocken Mittlere Länge, mittlere Intensität, moderater Alk. Demnächst austrinken (3-4 Jahre) Ein guter Wein

2001 vintage

The usual aromas of pencil shavings and blackberry, with a hint of mint and this time, some fading blueberry. On the palate, a beguiling mixture of dark raspberry, blackcurrant and wild strawberry, still quite intense, but subtle, unhurried and classy, finishing with a long, slightly green dollop of blackberry this time. Really good, in fact I wonder if it hasn’t improved slightly - no sign of any fatigue, that’s certain. An easy 93 pts

2001 vintage

First of all this is very Sociando, which will split opinions. Green pepper, high acid, dried herbs. I like that but not everyone does. That said, this is very good. Relatively generous fruit, nice smoke, good complexity. Lacks a little something in the mid-palate. A very good Sociando that is drinking great right now and isn't fading anytime soon. Drink now or hold for 10+ years. Always a long lived wine and very good value.

2001 vintage

Wow! 3 hour slo-ox then decanted off sediment . Beautiful dark red/purple color without any browning. Nose of red and darker fruit, cedar, oak, spice box and cigar box, multiple layers of secondary and tertiary notes. Medium to full bodied and put on weight and gravitas in the glass. Tannins present, but mollified from previous bottle. Long finish. 12.5 % ABV appreciated. Very pleasing wine.

2001 vintage

This is for me the most perfectly balanced, lovely Bordeaux. In fact, for my own personal taste, this is MUCH preferred to the blockbusters roaming the wine market and pushing me away from Bordeaux. From a magnum bottle, the color is beautifully poetic dark violet starting to show hints of hues, on the nose it is now open and invites to an image of a subdued automnal afternoon, and exactly at the point where the fruits and the terroir join …

2001 vintage

Reticent and shy upon opening, the wine blooms nicely with air. Revealing classic medoc characters of black currant, cedar, tobacco and potpourri, with this etate’s hallmark herbaceousness. Not the most deep or concentrated Sociando, but classic and just enough depth to hold the intellect. Give it an hour in the decanter for it to blossom. Drink soon.

2001 vintage

Ian A’s Sociando Mallet @Noizé (Noizé, London) : Dense ruby. Nicely tobaccoey nose here. A touch of warm terracotta in a Pessac meets northern Medoc way. More classical SM on the palate. Quite dense. Feels a lot younger than the 2000. Bare ***(*)

2001 vintage

Ian A's Sociando Mallet Vertical (Noizé, London) : Mixture of plum fruit, cassis and blueberries here, some slatey minerality and baking spices. A touch of pineapple stalk greenness and some pomegranate emerges with air. Love this wine. My third favourite wine of the night.

2001 vintage

Decanted for 4.5 hrs. Very dark, black cherry colour with an impenetrable core. Luscious nose of black berries, black currant and blackberry, supple leather, nettle, graphite, bittersweet chocolate and charred oak. Wonderfully dark and rich! Full bodied, soft and smooth on the entry, round mouthfeel, cleansing acidity, astringent tannins, grippy finish. Gobs of black fruit on the palate, mostly blackberries and some plum, as well as mulch, leather, high graphite and squeeky oak. Long, mouth-coating, fruity, inky, very dry finish …

2019 vintage

Nez moyennement expressif, boisé, fruits noirs. En bouche plutôt linéaire, tanins encore presents, peu d ampleur. Longueur moyenne. Actuellement pas à la hauteur d un sociando. Peut etre dans quelques années.

2013 vintage

The 2019 iteration of Château Sociando-Mallet is blend of 55% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc that was aged for 12 months in French oak barriques (90% new). Deep-to-opaque ruby, it is aromatically effusive of dark plums, crème de cassis, licorice, tobacco, allspice, menthol and pencil shavings. Medium-to-full-bodied, low-to-medium in acidity, seamlessly alcoholic (14.5%) and proportionately oaked, it delivers flavors mirroring the nose. Although plentiful, the tannins are fine-grained, resulting in an overall soft-textured mouthfeel that is pervasive …

2019 vintage

55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Deep ruby with discoloration on edge. Intense aromas of blackberry, dark cherry, leather, cedar, graphite, forest floor. Silky and long. At peak.

2001 vintage

Also so sophisticated and structured and youthful

2019 vintage

Eher 90 als 91 Punkte. Über zwei Tage getrunken. Der Wein scheint mir sehr weichgespült zu sein. Tiefe und Länge fehlen. Dunkler Frucht, jugendlich, dennoch bereits jetzt trinkbar. Ich hatte mir etwas mehr versprochen. Wird von verschiedenen Verkostern von 90 bis 95 bewertet. Ich sehe ihn am unteren Ende. Also 90 bis maximal 91 Punkte. Dürfte sich in seiner Jugend am besten trinken lassen. Höhepunkt: 2025 bis 2030?

2019 vintage

I tried this last November while visiting Bordeaux. The producer had a representative offering the wine for tasting and they were running a discount, unsurprising in light of the reputation of the 2013 vintage (worst in the past decade). It was my first time trying Sociando Mallet and I was impressed how well they did under the challenging circumstances. This is not a profound wine, but it was pleasant and had decent concentration. Their performance with the 2013 got me …

2013 vintage

Super tasty wine! Full and strong. Vanilla oaky smokey leather

2019 vintage

Tasted over two days. Fragrant red plum, dried cherries, tobacco, pencil shavings, and menthol on the nose. Juicy red fruits on the palate with tannins that are a bit rugged and green. I believe another reviewer describes them as stemmy, which is probably more accurate. I feel like this needs much more time to integrate. 90+ pts.

2019 vintage

Part of a 2020-1995 Verticale. Typical 2001 Bdx, promising low but delivering high. Seducing, chocolate, tobacco, plum, vanilla and port notes, counterbalanced by pencil shave, liquorice and eucalyptus. Great stuff at its peak, to be enjoyed now and for another 3-5 years.

2001 vintage

Part of a 2020-1995 Verticale. Expectedly edgy and lacking substance. Considering the awful conditions of the vintage don't expect much improvement with time.

2013 vintage

Dark purple-red color; nearly opaque. Nose of plum, spice, and a hint of vanilla. Palate has cassis, cinnamon, nutmeg, pencil lead, and plum that carry into a medium finish with tannic structure showing up. Needs some time to integrate for my tastes but enjoyable now. Drink or hold.

2019 vintage

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (55%), Merlot (40%) and Cabernet Franc (5%). Aged for 12 months 100% in new oak barriques, then blended together and aged for another six months in tanks. 12,5% alcohol. Somewhat evolved and slightly translucent dark red color with a light maroon hue. A classic, savory claret nose with aromas of fresh blackcurrants, some smoky tones, a little bit of exotic spices, light cedary nuances of cigar box, a hint of leather and an evolved touch …

2001 vintage

Excellent bottle. Threw this into a decanter at cellar temp and after about 30 minutes it was outstanding. Others also enjoyed and would agree with djhammond that likely is peak. Not sure there is a rush to drink but don't see a reason to wait. Wine is performing really well

2001 vintage

Day 1: very dark color. On the palate, classical flavors of a mature Sociando. Green notes and a bitter finish were detrimental to what would have been a very good wine. Day 2 (after one day in the fridge): the bitter notes mentioned above had dissipated and I regretted I had only 2 glasses left.

2001 vintage

Nose of cinnamon, unobtrusive oak spice, lead pencil, and warm dark fruit preserves, which I see in many '19s. Enough acid to keep it fresh, with ripe tannin, generous enough to be enjoyed pop-and-pour, the edges rounded off with an hour of air. Just a touch of alcohol in the finish, this would be even better with more length. Let's see what another hour open does with this. Not a traditionalist's S-M, but am enjoying this now.

2019 vintage

Deep ruby colour. Medium and developing nose with black plum, blackcurrant, green bell pepper and cloves. Medium taste of blackcurrant, blackberry black plum, green bell pepper, cloves and cedar. Long and dry finish. High acidity. High tannins. Medium body. A very good Haut-Médoc that is still very young. Drink in fifteen to twenty five years. Goes well with beef or lamb.

2019 vintage

Decanted 3hrs. This is a very easy TN to write as I feel that I had already done it recently. Specifically, this reminded me A LOT like the 2019 Pegau Cuvee Reserve. It breaks down like this, big, large scaled wine, with a solid as a rock dense core that is very tightly coiled. The Cabernet fruit is huge – blackberry and some just so slight suggestion of a green element, savory and very tasty. But, this never comes across …

2019 vintage

We tasted the 2013 Sociando Mallet from a Magnum bottle. Ruby color. Red cherry, some smoky note, Cigar box. On the palate, it is dry, medium acidity, with firm but silky tannins. Medium long finish. Nice Bordeaux, unlikely to develop more, but will still be at a good level for a while.

2013 vintage

Best SoMa Ive tasted. Elegant, dark fruits, keeps shows better and better in the glass. Enjoyable right now.

2019 vintage

Medium reddish-purple garnet in color; almost opaque. Full, forward & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, cassis & plums with earthy/dusty & herbal overtones, some floral notes, spices, minerals, & a slight hint of cedar in the background. Medium bodied with a good concentration of balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blueberries & plums with herbs, minerals, spices & a hint of vanilla/oak. Lingering finish. Quite accessible at present with decanting & extended airing but …

2019 vintage

fruity and dense smell. dark ruby color in the glass. long and full taste with notes from blueberry, vanilla and some wood. a great QPR

2013 vintage

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Chateau Sociando-Mallet, Haut-Medoc

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