Château Sociando-Mallet - Haut-Médoc 2025 (Primeurs)

Bettane & Desseauve

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 his purchase in 1969. Today, of the estate’s 85 hectares, about 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 their core, they always exhibit great finesse. The estate now features a guesthouse, Villa Sociando, located at the 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 broker at Miailhe, he founded his own company in the late 1950s to sell wines in the Benelux region. A client commissioned 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 are on par with 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 higher Merlot content. 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.

Vinous

About the wine:

Sociando-Mallet 2025 is a true revelation. What a wine! Dark and explosive, bursting with energy, the 2025 is fabulous from the very first sip. Supple contours and aromas of ripe black fruit herald a great wine of exceptional pedigree and character. Notes of dark red and blue fruits and exotic spices lend it richness and liveliness, while refreshing acidity gives it irresistible energy.

James Suckling

Yves Beck

About the wine:

What a captivating bouquet, perfectly balanced, with Super HD clarity as its olfactory theme. It combines depth and freshness with notes of violets, blackcurrants, blackberries, mint, and dark chocolate (with a nod to After-Eights, by the way), followed by a hint of Sichuan pepper and a touch of eucalyptus to finish. It’s just like before, but with many more intermediate stages! Slightly creamy on the attack, the wine features compact, fine-grained tannins that subtly reveal their power. Restrained, certainly, but for good reason, as they aim to distribute it in a targeted manner to foster harmony with the existing tension. They simply maintain the olfactory theme—high definition, or a high pixel count. A defined, savory, and precise wine whose finish is underscored by a subtle austerity that illuminates and extends its finish. A truly great wine in the making and certainly one of the most accomplished Sociando-Mallet wines I have ever tasted. It is indeed in the home stretch that it performs best, with that burst of energy that allows it to accelerate in the final meters before the finish line. These are, of course, projections at a specific point in time, but knowing the wine, I am convinced it will brilliantly confirm this performance—and with Sociando, one is never safe from an even more pleasant surprise! To be followed very closely. 2030–2065

Falstaff