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Sociando Mallet 2009

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Haut Médoc
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Sociando-Mallet

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Tasting Notes

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.

90
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, March 2012

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.

94
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2012

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.

16.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2010

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.

17
Steven Spurrier, Decanter.com, April 2010
Read more tasting notes...

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.

90/92+
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (188), April 2010

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.

91/93
Neal Martin, RobertParker.com, April 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.

89/92
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com, April 2010
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.