Château Sociando-Mallet 2006

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

A key figure in the Médoc region, Jean Gautreau is one of the architects of the revival of its wines. Respected by his peers, he has raised Sociando-Mallet to the level of a classified growth, greatly expanding the vineyard since its purchase in 1969. Today, of the estate's 85 hectares, around 50 are classified as third or even second growths. Assisted by his daughter, Jean Gautreau is one of the few owners who supervises the winemaking process himself. These are benchmark wines with an inimitable touch and identity. Médoc wines through and through, they always display great finesse. The estate now has a guesthouse, the Villa Sociando, at the port of 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 had several owners. At the end of the last century, Jean Gautreau recognized its potential. A broker at Miailhe, he set up his own company in the late 1950s to sell wines in the Benelux countries. A client asked him to find a property with good terroir. He discovered Sociando-Mallet: overlooking the estuary, a superb gravelly hilltop on clay subsoil. When the client did not follow through, he bought it for himself in 1969, restructured it, expanded it (originally 5 hectares, now 82), and built a winery. Although unclassified, it is one of the most important wines in the appellation, now run by Sylvie, daughter of Jean Gautreau, who died 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 highly renowned brand that has won the hearts of true wine lovers. Many vintages from this beautiful estate in the northern Médoc region are equivalent to very good classified growths. Jean Gautreau, who spent half a century building Sociando-Mallet, passed away at the end of 2019, leaving the torch to his daughter Sylvie. Widely distributed in France and Belgium, the wine remains a safe bet and, above all, offers consistently excellent value for money. A vast replanting project was initiated around ten years ago, forcing the estate to produce more "Merlot-dominated" wines. These are rounder, but probably less distinguished. We no longer find quite the same magical brilliance as in the 1982, 1990 or 1996 vintages, which remain the benchmarks.

James Suckling