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Sociando Mallet 2005

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Haut Médoc
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyCabernet Sauvignon

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château Sociando-Mallet

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Tasting Notes

It’s hard not to admire the brilliant Jean Gautreau, who has run this great terroir and estate (just to the north of St-Estèphe’s Château Montrose) with meticulous perfection for decades. The 2005 is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. Offering beautifully sweet crème de cassis and blueberries, this is concentrated essence of blue and black fruits, with some underlying minerality, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and stunning texture, length and purity. This is superb Sociando Mallet, with surprisingly sweet tannin, which is even more remarkable in this vintage of high and occasionally hard tannins. Give it another 4-5 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 30 years. Drink 2019 - 2050.

93+
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (219), June 2015

A pretty wine with berry, spice and mineral aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, with fine tannins and a medium finish. A little disappointing. Wait and see. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.

85/88
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com, March 2006

Tasted blind. Dark crimson. Sweet fruit and juicy palate. Not that subtle but lots of tannin and probably enough fruit for the future. Inky end.
Drink 2017-2025

16
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, March 2017

Good full medium red-ruby. Complex nose offers black raspberry, licorice, minerals and a whiff of leather. Brooding, ripe and deep, with terrific volume for Sociando. The black raspberry, licorice and dark chocolate flavors are full and rich but remain this side of exotic. In fact, this boasts superb balance even if it's youthfully backward today. Expands impressively on the back half, finishing with big, broad tannins and an impression of real power. Cellarmaster Faure notes that he's enjoying the '98 and '99 today, but that the 2000 and 2001 are currently quite closed. This 2005 is likely to require at least seven or eight years of patience.

92
Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, June 2008

Big smoky, bacony wine, wild violets, lots of extract of Cabernet fruit, a real classic. Drink 2011/2-25.

17
Steven Spurrier, Decanter.com, April 2006

Came 99th out of 184 wines

15.5
-, Southwold Bordeaux Tasting, January 2009
Read more tasting notes...

No tasting note given.

91+
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (176), April 2008

As one might expect from this exceptional estate that makes 30 plus-year wines, the 2005 is backward and firm with an inky/purple color, and a classic nose of graphite, crushed rocks, creme de cassis, smoke, and pain grille. With good acidity and ripeness, undeniable minerality, medium to full body, and high tannin, this infant will require considerable cellaring. It should age effortlessly for three decades. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035+.

91/93
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (170), April 2007

As one might expect, proprietor Jean Gautreau has produced an uncompromisingly, potentially enormously long-lived 2005 that is as good as most Medoc cru classes. Based on previous vintages, it will undoubtedly require 10-12 years of cellaring. Its saturated blue/purple color is followed by a sumptuous bouquet of blueberries, white flowers, and minerals. Fresh, full-bodied, well-defined, and already revealing plenty of nuances, this intensely concentrated, impeccably pure effort is a classic vin de garde. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030+.

92/94
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (164), April 2006

NB appellation. Very dark, burly crimson. Strongly cassis. Dominated by fruit rather than structure on the front palate although there is lots of tannin on the finish. Very polished texture. But not tarty. Bodes well for the future

17
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, February 2009

Full, sweet, broad nose but slight hint of greenness too. Supple, very fine tannins underneath but a bit muted compared with some other vintages. Drink 2010-16

15.5
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2006
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.