Region | |
---|---|
Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Haut Médoc |
Colour | Red |
Type | Still |
Sociando-Mallet is the poster child for what cru bourgeois estates can achieve. This is a wine that is consistently of classified-growth quality and also one of the longest lived wines made in the Medoc. An exceptional vintage for Sociando-Mallet, 2003 has produced a spectacularly concentrated, inky blue/purple-colored wine with an extraordinary nose of blackberries, raspberries, some white flowers, and a hint of lead pencil shavings. The wine is powerful, extremely full-bodied, quite tannic, and seriously endowed. This is stunning wine that is rich, layered, and in need of 5-6 years of bottle-age. It should keep for 30+ years. It is certainly a riveting effort for the vintage and, as I wrote last year, probably a modern-day version of a hypothetical blend of a 1970 and a 1982.
Beautiful aromas of raspberries, licorice and currants follow through to a full-bodied palate with silky tannins and a long finish. Another 1990 in the making?
Reminiscent of a hypothetical blend of the 1982 and 1975, this is an incredibly powerful, amazingly rich offering possessing extraordinary freshness and precision, an inky blue/purple color to the rim, and a stunning nose of crushed rocks, creme de cassis, acacia flowers, and graphite. This full-bodied, powerful effort is crammed with concentration, has elevated tannins, but low acidity, and, I am sure, a relatively high pH. Rich, profoundly concentrated, and serious, this is the kind of stuff that makes a mockery of Bordeaux’s classification system. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2035.
One of the cru bourgeois estates that always performs at classified growth quality levels, Sociando Mallet has, for 20 years, been the insider’s choice for top quality wine that will easily withstand two decades of cellaring. Bottles of the 1970, 1975, and 1982 from my cellar are still youthful and evolving!
A great success for this perennial over-achiever, the 2003 Sociando Mallet may be drinkable at an earlier age than most vintages (which normally need 5-10 years of cellaring). Inky/blue/purple to the rim, it boasts a gorgeous perfume of crushed stones, violets, blueberries, and creme de cassis with no evidence of wood. Concentrated fruit, low acidity, and high but sweet tannin give an overall impression of voluptuousness and fleshiness. Long, persistent, and impressive, it is very much in the style of the 1990, without the over-ripeness of that vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2020+.