Château Sociando-Mallet

The Château Sociando - Mallet is one of the vineyards of Bordeaux. It is located in Saint -Seurin -de- Cadourne in the Haut-Médoc appellation in the northern Médoc peninsula. The farm has about 66 acres of vines cultivated, of which 54% with Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc are planted. The estate is situated in a panoramic position on the Gironde north of Saint- Estèphe. In addition to the first wine, a second wine called La Demoiselle de Sociando - Mallet is produced.

The estate is located since 1969 in private ownership by Jean Gautreau. As one of less than ten - Medoc Chateau enjoyed Sociando under the Cru Bourgeois - goods until recently classified as a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionel ( CBE). Meanwhile must be a Good then apply again within the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Médoc, Association of CB goods for status obtaining. In this procedure, however, waived Gautreau; To be good is, in his view, even without official classification at the top of all the Crus Bourgeois. Among wine connoisseurs, it is undisputed that Sociando, compared with the Grand Cru estates, in rank at least one Troisieme, but rather a Deuxieme Grand Cru equivalent.

The wines from average to good years are regularly regarded by Robert Parker with 90 or more Parker points as excellent wines, the vintages 2005 (91 pp), 2003 (94 pp), 2000 ( 93 pp), 1990 ( 93 pp), 1982 ( 92 pp), 1997, 1996, 1995, 1989, 1986 and 1985 (90 pp). But even in less favorable years, the wines of Sociando - Mallet on constant good level and often better than many Grand Crus.

Jean Gautreau vinified its wines in the classic Bordeaux style conservative, so that the red wines must have often extremely long in the basement storage, empfohlenermaßen about 10 to 15 years, and by its tight style and emphasis on Cabernet Sauvignon are not everyone's case.

A strict selection of grapes from vines that are older than ten years old, and a long maceration produce a wine full of flavor with a deep dark color. The wine of Sociando has a special bouquet; can be found in him, inter alia, the scent of raspberries. When they are young, these wines seem a bit strict, with age, however, the remarkable class of Haut-Medoc is achieved. This also results in the long shelf life. To bottling on the estate of the wine is aged in oak barrels, barriques.