Chateau Sociando Mallet.

This is a rich red wine, full of dark berried fruit with wonderful concentration of flavours, incredible length and balance. Showing flashes of charm now, it has years of ageing potential with the promise of opulence and extraordinary depth.

Country

France

Region

Bordeaux

Grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot

Vintage

2011

ABV

13.5

Code

10887

Style

Red

We love visiting Jean Gautreau. Not just because we’re guaranteed to taste his renowned wines (and, yes, he does break out some special cuvées once the “official” tasting has finished) but also because Château Sociando Mallet has the best view of the Gironde of any Médoc château we’ve visited. Some say that the best wines are produced by vines that overlook the river but it takes more than that to produce wines of this quality.

Jean is as traditional as they come amongst the winemakers on the left bank. On a visit in winter we saw his loyal team pruning the vines by hand. Visit in spring and you’ll be treated to the spectacle of horse drawn ploughs toiling between the vines. Later in September, Jean can be found tasting the grapes and glancing at the sky as he judges ripeness. When the time comes, it’s all hands on deck as the fruit is hand-harvested and sorted.

Like those of Frederic Mitjaville, his counterpart on the right bank, Jean’s wines make a mockery of Bordeaux’s famous 1855 classification system which rank the top 58 vineyards from first growth (premier cru) through to 5^th growth (cinquieme cru). This system has not once been updated in its 160 years and the wines of Sociando Mallet have stunned critics such as Jancis Robinson and Robert Parker over the past two decades. The Gautreau style just cannot fail to be noticed and are rightly famous for their longevity. These long-lived beauties have years of pleasure to offer discerning Bordeaux fans.