1999 Sociando-Mallet - Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France

1999 Sociando Mallet: Dark colour. Spicy, oaky and mint aromas. Long and expressive in mouth with tones of sweet pepper. Smooth and balanced. The Merlots are warm and generous. Quite mineral on  the finish. A typical and well made "terroir" type of Sociando Mallet. 89/100. (May 2002)

1999 Sociando-Mallet - Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France

1999 Sociando-Mallet: Vanilla nose with red fruits and woody notes which are close to be awkward. On the palate, 1999 Sociando clearly lacks of charm and roundness. The tannins are good, but a bit too ferocious. 1999 Sociando deserves to patient for at least another 5 years. The wine misses a harmony at this stage of evolution. 87/100. (Jan. 2007).  

2000 Sociando-Mallet - Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France

2000 Sociando Mallet: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon - 45% Merlot 
Some people compare this estate owned by Jean Gautreau to Lafite in past vintages! Here was a chance to see what 2000 Sociando Mallet was really made of. Nicely open nose of tobacco, spices and, less pleasantly, green pepper! This greenness shows up again in the mouth, even though 2000 Sociando Mallet's structure is fat and seems to be able to integrate this vegetal imbalance on the run. Some kind of disappointment. I think that the grape selection and ripeness was not rigorous enough this year at Sociando Mallet. At any rate, this tasting confirms the relatively low average score of 2000 Sociando on ccvo-bg.org. 86/100  

2001 Sociando-Mallet - Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France

2007 April -  Deep crimson. Classy complex nose with fascinating mineral components, ripe red fruits, pepper and a hint of liquorice. Excellent and fleshy mouth with a round and pure fruit. Tannins are elegant and tasty. Persistent wine showing a bit of alcohol in the finish. Even though I found this bottle of 2001 Sociando Mallet very promising, other tasters rated the sample lower than I did.

2003 Sociando-Mallet - Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, France

2003 Sociando Mallet: Very dark and crimson hue. The nose of 2003 Sociando Mallet is superbly rich, it oozes of blackcurrant, sandalwood, soft spices, saffron as well as a green pepper touch. The structure of 2003 Sociando Mallet is dynamic and well balanced. The tannins are not as marked as one would have retrospectively thought of and they balance harmoniously the beautiful ripe fruit. 2003 Sociando Mallet's finish is a bit short and comparatively lacks complexity to 03 Léoville Barton and 03 Château Margaux. Probably the competition was a bit too serious in this flight for 2003 Sociando Mallet but the wine of Jean Gautreau takes up the challenge more than valiantly. 89/100 

Further articles on ccvo-bg

Bordeaux wine tasting by topic

Bordeaux wine tasting by Chateau

Advanced wine topics by a sommelier

Glossary of wine terms

Bordeaux vine varieties

Bordeaux wine regions and appellations