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Description
Tasting notes

Reviewed by: William Kelley
Aromas of dark berries and plums mingled with hints of mint, violets and licorice introduce the 2022 Sociando-Mallet, a medium to full-bodied, supple and lively wine that's deep, fleshy and seamless, with powdery tannins that assert themselves with promising youthful grip on the finish. It's a blend of 63% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc. Readers who remember how this estate acquitted itself in years such as 2003 and 1990 will not be surprised by its quality in 2022.

Reviewed by: William Kelley
The 2022 Sociando-Mallet is a beauty, wafting from the glass with aromas of cassis, plums, pencil shavings, espresso roast, licorice and violets. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's velvety and layered, with powdery tannins and a long, penetrating finish. It's a blend of 63% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc. As I wrote en primeur, readers who remember how this estate acquitted itself in years such as 2003 and 1990 will not be surprised by its quality in 2022.

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2022 Sociando-Mallet presents an intense nose with touches of seaweed infusing the black fruit, though it's not as refined as it was from barrel. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and plenty of mocha-tinged black fruit, but it loses some precision on the slightly rustic finish. Hopefully, this will improve with bottle age as this estate usually does.

Reviewed by: James Suckling
Dark berries, spicy herbs and flowers. Graphite, too. Very floral and fragrant nose. Vivid and fresh, yet full and concentrated, with a firm grip of compact and polished tannins. Structured with purity of fruit. Very balanced and long. Beautiful acidity and freshness despite the power. 63% merlot, 35% cabernet sauvignon and 2% cabernet franc.

Reviewed by: Zekun Shuai
This wine is impressive and vertically structured, with quality tannins in very good quantities. Pencil shavings, graphite, minerals, cassis, paprika and fresh blackberries. Compact, dusty and full-bodied, with a tight and lengthy finish. This shows excellent potential for aging. For Haut-Medoc, this is often a smart buy. 63% merlot, 35% cabernet sauvignon and 2% cabernet franc. Drink from 2028 and in the next 15 years, if not longer.
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."