Château Sociando-Mallet 2018

The fiftieth bottling of this wine: promising, youthful aromas shaped by maturation; a clean attack, then very quickly incredibly dense yet fine-grained tannins, noticeable freshness as well, giving an impression of juiciness despite the richness; finishes long and fruity; for fans of this wine, a must. Can age forever.

A beautiful rich damson colour, this is powerful, intense, classic Sociando – and for me it's even better than the 2016. It has good tannins, and lots of them, with a core of plum, damson and cassis with a side of fresh herbs, liquorice and subtle spice. It shows great persistency. A wine to look out for.

I like the blueberry, chocolate, blackcurrant and dark chocolate. Some tar and crushed lead pencil, too. Full-bodied with firm, creamy tannins, offering lovely texture and roundness. Extremely well polished and exciting. One of the best Sociandos in a long time. Best after 2025.

Clearly, a contender for the best wine ever produced here. Even though it is an infant, it is hard not to enjoy the cornucopia of ripe, red berries, black plums and blackberries that come along with a judicious dose of new French oak, tobacco leaf, fresh herbs, cigar box and cedar. The wine has a solid depth of flavor and a long, chewy blast of ripe red fruits in the endnote. The wine is also bottled with a special, commemorative, one-time-only, black and gold label, celebrating 50 years of ownership by the Gautreau family.

Deep dark ruby, purple reflections, delicate bright rim. Fine noble wood savouriness, black berry fruit, nuances of liquorice, orange zest, some nougat. Juicy, powerful, elegant, sweet cherries, ripe tannins, mineral and fresh, promising ageing potential.

Opaque purple with a black core. Seductive bouquet of blackcurrants and dark chocolate truffles, followed by violets, licorice, and blackberry jelly. On the powerful palate, great fruit tension, ripe extract richness and a massive body, perfectly supported by a tightly knit tannic framework. The aromatic, never-ending finish is a firework of dark-berry contours, exotic woods, and Dominican tobacco. Once again this year, it ranks among our top Best-Buy recommendations. For the 50th vintage with an elegant black anniversary label – chapeau to the Gautreau family!

Kunz barrel sample 19: dense, velvety, dark bouquet, black berries, cassis, Black Currant, cold smoke, slate, black truffle. Finely concentrated, powerful, aromatic palate with intense dark fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a well-muscled structure, complex aromatics and a long, powerful finish.

Dense, velvety, dark bouquet: black berries, cassis, Black Currant, cold smoke, slate, black truffle. Finely concentrated, powerful, aromatic palate with intense dark fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a well-muscled structure, complex aromatics, long, powerful finish. 18/20 2025 - 2050

The architecture through the palate is a little unusual here – silky texture with weight that reflects a higher Merlot content. It's a good quality, enjoyable wine, with brambled hedgerow character and plenty of cocoa dusting and liquorice root. François Hugueniot technical director as of this vintage, moving over after a career in the US and South Africa. Highest alcohol to date in this lineup and the first one where there is a hint of heat (an issue I found generally with the 2018 vintage). 90% new French oak for ageing, harvest September 19 to October 12.

Sociando-Mallet 2018 has a deep garnet-purple color. It opens with medicinal and leather wafts over a core of cassis and blackberry preserves, with hints of olives and cracked pepper. Medium to full-bodied, the palate shows a good amount of vibrant black fruit, grainy tannins, and a lively backbone, leading to an energetic finish.

The grand vin is impressively voluminous, with an exotic touch and Merlot ripeness that evokes great California wines more than classic Bordeaux. It’s far from finished, as it is finding its balance and is not becoming overripe. Best left to rest in the cellar.

A great deal of subtlety, finesse and intensity in this bouquet, where the symbiosis between freshness and maturity is perfect. Inviting nuances of mint, eucalyptus, blackberries and chalky notes. On the palate, the wine shines with its energy, pedigree and finesse, while the aromatic expression imprints itself across the entire mouth. The tannins slowly take hold of the whole palate, asserting themselves with grace, conviction and precision. Indeed, they are ideally supported by the acidic structure, which lends a racy and vigorous dimension. In the finish, the wine is imposing in its complexity, power, finesse and persistence. I think this is one of the greatest Sociando produced to date. It can hold a conversation with the most prestigious wines of Haut-Médoc… and I’m happy to listen to everything it has to tell me!

Logo on the cork: A inside a circle (Amorim)