Château Sociando-Mallet 2018

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Generous, well-crafted, with refined tannins; it lacks a bit of depth in the mid-palate compared to the top wines, but it’s a fine example of a Médoc style. Highly recommended.

About the estate:

A leading figure in the Médoc, Jean Gautreau is one of the architects of the region’s revival. Respected by his peers, he has elevated Sociando-Mallet to the status of a classified growth, significantly expanding the vineyard since purchasing it in 1969. Today, of the estate’s 85 hectares, some 50 meet the standards of a third- or even second-growth classified wine. Assisted by his daughter, Jean Gautreau is one of the few owners who personally oversees the winemaking process. These are benchmark wines, with an inimitable character and identity. Medoc at heart, they always display great finesse. The estate now features a guesthouse, Villa Sociando, located at Port de la Maréchale, 3 kilometers from the estate.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the estate:

In the 17th century, it was a noble estate belonging to a Basque family, the Sossiandos. Confiscated during the Revolution, it has had several owners. At the end of the last century, Jean Gautreau recognized its potential. A wine merchant at Miailhe, he founded his own company in the late 1950s to sell wines in the Benelux region. A client asked him to find a property with excellent terroir. He discovered Sociando-Mallet: overlooking the estuary, a superb gravelly hilltop on a clay subsoil. Since the client did not follow through, he bought it for himself in 1969, restructured it, expanded it (originally 5 ha, now 82), and built a winery. Unclassified, it is one of the key estates in the appellation, now run by Sylvie, daughter of Jean Gautreau, who passed away in 2019

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the estate:

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

Sociando-Mallet is a well-known brand that has won the hearts of true wine lovers. Many vintages from this lovely estate in the northern Médoc rival those of top-tier classified growths. Jean Gautreau, who spent half a century building Sociando-Mallet, passed away in late 2019, passing the torch to his daughter Sylvie. Widely available in France and Belgium, the wine remains a safe bet and, above all, offers consistently excellent value for money. A major replanting project was initiated about ten years ago, forcing the estate to produce wines with a greater emphasis on Merlot. They possess more roundness, but likely less character. We no longer quite find the magical brilliance of the 1982, 1990, or 1996 vintages, which remain benchmarks.

James Suckling

About the wine:

There is a fantastic purity of dark fruit, with blackberries and ripe raspberries. Floral and bright. Full-bodied and compact on the palate, with beautifully polished tannins. Truly fantastic.