The estate
Overlooking the Gironde estuary for nearly three centuries, Château Sociando-Mallet is one of the most respected estates in the Haut-Médoc appellation. Owned by Sieur Sociando in the 17th century, the Mallet family added their name to the estate following their acquisition in the 19th century. Since 1969, the Gautreau family has been instilling passion and energy into this emblematic property on the left bank of Bordeaux.
The vineyard
Poised at the top of the Baleyron hill, in the commune of Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne, the 77-hectare vineyard is planted on a terroir composed of gravel and clay resting upon a clay-limestone subsoil. The vines are 35 years old on average and produce fine Haut-Médoc wines.
The blend
Merlot (55%)
Cabernet Sauvignon (45%).
The tasting
Nose
The nose offers a powerful aromatic expression that blends floral (red rose) notes with generous and flavoursome black fruit fragrances that offer a remarkably fresh expression.
Palate
The dynamic attack precedes a palate that blends power and delicacy with fresh and highly noble tannins. This elegant wine combines aromatic brilliance, concentration, structure and precision. The finish is long and persistent.
The 2015 Sociando Mallet is a blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc this year. It has a rather introspective bouquet, broody and earthy, although with aeration it reveals pleasant blackberry and wild strawberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannin, a little rustic and brutish at the moment with an abrasive finish that will hopefully soften by the time it is in bottle. I feel that this was just upended by the storms that swept across the region in September.