2012 Sociando Mallet 75CL

Haut-Medoc

₱3,450
Unit price per

TASTING NOTES:

Wine Rating: RP 90 points
Drink by: 2015 - 2030

Once again proprietor Jean Gautreau has hit pay dirt with a beautiful blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. Wonderfully sweet, ripe tannins seem to be a rule of thumb from this great terroir just to the north of St.-Estèphe’s Château Montrose.
A beautiful deep ruby/purple color, decent acidity, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel and stunning fruit put this wine right in the midst of the best-classified crus from the Médoc, yet it has never been classified. Go figure. Softer than I would have suspected (and I’ve been following and buying this wine since the mid-1970s), this wine will still age beautifully for 10-15+ years.

Located in the appellation of Haut-Medoc overlooking the Gironde Estuary, Château Sociando-Mallet was first owned by an aristocrat, Sieur Sociando. When the property passed to the Mallet family in the 19th century, they added their name.

Today, owner Jean Gautreau has passionately worked for 40 years to renew the estate, now covering 85 hectares of beautiful gravel terroir. The Sociando-Mallet terroir is made up of gravel from the Guntzian era, on a deep clay-limestone subsoil. It allows the Cabernet Sauvignon to ripen in excellent conditions and the Merlot to acquire depth and complexity, while perfectly regulating the water supply to the vine. This terroir is the soul of Sociando wines, which owe their complex structure, freshness, and elegance to it.