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Chateau Sociando-Mallet

2012
Country
France
Region
Bordeaux
Appellation
Haut-Medoc
UPC
0 15643 42681 0
Red Wine
Verified Stock
1784-12
Product Ratings
James Suckling 90pt

Intense aromas of red and black cherries with light floral notes. Full body, silky tannins, lovely acidity and long, fruity finish. Polished tannins. Needs to open.

by James Suckling, 2015
Wine Advocate 90pt

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.-Estephe's Chateau 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 Medoc, 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.

by Wine Advocate, 2015

Tasting notes

The wines of Sociando-Mallet are characterized by a very deep and dark colour, complex aromas of little red fruits and a well-integrated fine oaky touch. They are by tradition long-keeping wines. The wines are full-bodied, straight and elegant, with a lot of freshness and depth.

MISC

OWNER: Jean GAUTREAU, since 1969
SURFACE AREA: The vineyard covers 90 hectares
SOIL AND SUB SOIL: Gravel over a clay-limestone sub-soil
GRAPE VARIETIES: 55 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 % Merlot, 5 % Cabernet Franc
AVERAGE AGE OF THE VINE: 30 years
DENSITY OF PLANTATION: 8,333 plants per hectare
OTHER INFORMATIONS ABOUT THE VINEYARD: Low Guyot pruning
Traditional ploughing
Reasoned organic soil improvement
AVERAGE YIELD: 55 hi/ha.

Vinification

Manual harvesting in small crates with sorting of the grapes before de-stemming.
Classical wine making, with native yeasts, in lined concrete and stainless steel vats, temperature-controlled.
Vatting period : 25 to 30 days.
Malolactic fermentation in vats, without addition of lactic bacterium.
Ageing in 100% new oak barrels during 12 months. Total ageing of 18 months.
Racking every 3 months, by the plug.