Wine Advisor
Sociando Mallet 2011
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Whether it is due to the vintage or to Gautreau, the ferocity of the tannins in many 2011 Medocs seems relatively tame, but there is no lacking concentration in this wine, which is clearly of classified growth quality. It boasts a dense purple color along with abundant notes of creme de cassis, crushed rocks and spring flowers. Medium-bodied and super-rich, it is a real revelation in a vintage such as 2011. Given its precociousness and silky tannins, it can be drunk in 2-3 years, or cellared for two decades. Since I began covering these wines nearly 35 years ago, Sociando Maillet, with its fabulous terroir north of St.-Estephe, has been one of Bordeaux’s greatest over-achievers. It continues to prove that it should have been included in the 1855 Classification of the Wines of the Medoc. Proprietor Jean Gautreau is an example of a winemaker/vigneron/viticulture who does everything right regardless of vintage conditions.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Sociando Mallet has a pleasant, earthy bouquet that is natural and shows none of those green elements that can sometimes bridle young Sociando. The palate is medium-bodied with dusty tannins over a decent core of dry, earthy black fruit. Foursquare on the finish. Tasted April 2012.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 2011 may turn out to be even better than the 2009 Sociando Maillet. Its opaque purple color is not unusual for a young Sociando Maillet, but the creme de cassis, graphite and floral characteristics impressively saturate the olfactory senses. Medium to full-bodied with excellent purity, texture and length as well as remarkably sweet tannins, this wine should drink nicely for 10-15 years.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Mineral and blueberry character with fine tannins and a fresh finish. Refined style of Sociando with firm backbone. Needs a little more fruit in the mid-palate.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Pretty blackberry and earthy character. Medium to full body, medium-chewy tannins and a fresh finish. Layered and stylish. Excellent for the vintage. Better in 2016.
About the Producer
Château Sociando-Mallet is located in the Haut-Medoc, a region rich in Cru Bourgeois, but it is not precisely a Cru Bourgeois, not because it is not qualified, but because the owners felt that its excellence did not need to be judged by outsiders. The Château did not take part in either the 1855 Grand Cru de Médoc or the 1932 Cru Bourgeois. But with the quality of its wines, Château Marly has a real chance of winning the Cru Bourgeois! The grapes are hand-harvested, fermented in large concrete vats, clarified with egg white and placed in oak barrels. The grapes are hand-harvested, fermented in large concrete vats, clarified with egg white and aged in oak barrels to absorb the oak and soften the tannins. The Chateau Sociando-Mallet is aged for three months in oak barrels, with 100% new oak. The secondary wine of Château Sociando-Mallet is "LaDemoiselle de Sociando-Mallet". Thanks to Jean Gautreau's meticulous winemaking and good management, Château Mallet is fast becoming a class apart from the Cru Bourgeois and even the Grand Cru. The wines have a good structure and firm tannins, with a long finish, a characteristic that is usually found only at the Grand Cru level and above, but Château Marly is so capable that it has been described as "one of the highest quality AOCs in the entire Médoc". In the better vintages of Château Marly, Robert Parker gave it a score of 90 points, commenting: "A classic nose with a mix of cassis, graphite, ore and earth, a medium depth of body, a concentrated structure and, as always, outstanding quality, Château Marly always produces long-lived wines capable of ageing for 20-30 years. Great wines."
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Package Size
1 x 6L
