| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Haut Médoc |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This uncompromising property has turned out a backward, forbiddingly tannic wine that, even in this very opulent and flamboyant vintage, will need a minimum of 10-15 years of cellaring yet keep for 40 or more years. Opaque black/purple, with notes of crushed rock, white flowers, graphite, blueberry and cassis, the wine is tight and needs to be coaxed from the glass. It is medium to full-bodied, with an excruciatingly tough-textured finish. Everything is here, and the wine is set for a long life, but it is not the least bit charming and certainly won't be for at least another decade.
The 2009 Sociando Mallet has a tightly wound bouquet. Mainly red fruit, raspberry and wild strawberry are mixed with cedar and mint, becomes fresh and lively after three or four minutes. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly soft entry, missing some depth (especially for a 2009). A stilted finish that just lacks the flow one would expect. This falls below my expectations compared to previous bottles. This is Sociando-Mallet being its usual unpredictable self.. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners’ 2009 Bordeaux tasting. 89?
Shows precision here, with floral, blueberry and mineral aromas that follow through to a full body and firm and racy tannins. Very polished texture to this wine. Goes on for minutes on the plate. Back in form! Try after 2017.
Deep purple. Scented and very well integrated but not as intensely sweet as most St-Estèphes. Hint of yeast extract. Very interesting! Lots of vitality. Lightly drying on the finish but with real character and restraint - just the merest hint of whisky barrels. Date tasted 1st April 2010. Drink 2017-2030.
This Northern Medoc property's 2009 is a powerful expression of dense, black Cabernet Sauvignon fruit. Big, extracted and quite dry. There is a sense that it will need time to knit together, seems quite brutal today. A tight grip.
The nose is a bit tight at the moment but behind the firmness is a mass of ripe black fruits. Sweet cassis intermingles with black cherry and blackberry all leading to complexity, the freshness towards the back lifts and lengthens the flavours. Drink 2018-2040.
Dense colour, floral and quite intense nose, good depth of fruit, elegant and long with character and grip and a very good future. Drink 2014-20.
Ferocious tannins are not unusual for Sociando Mallet, but I was surprised that in a vintage that produced exceptionally tannic, but ripe wines, the Sociando Mallet tannins were atypically austere. Nevertheless, the wine boasts huge concentration along with an inky/purple color, a full-bodied, powerful palate, and a long finish. Excellent purity, density, and minerality are present in this cuvee, and it is capable of lasting 30-40 years. This estate is situated on some of the finest terroir of the Haut-Medoc, near Calon-Segur in St.-Estephe. (Tasted two times.) Drink 2010-2050.
Tasted at a negociant. The Sociando '09 has an intense blackberry and briary scented nose, touches of black plum and a hint of fruitcake. The palate is immediate enjoyable: very well balanced, finer tannins than I was expecting, delineated and focused with some lovely black, tar/cedar fruit towards the finish. Good length and precision. This is a great Sociando for the vintage. Tasted March 2010.
Love the nose of currant and mineral, with hints of mint. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a medium finish. Tannic. Maybe too much. But I think it's going to come out excellent.
