Sociando-Mallet vertical (8 vintages)

[Nicklasss]

Sociando-Mallet vertical

Last Wednesday, my tasting group organized a vertical of Chateau Sociando-Mallet. That Chateau from Bordeaux, that is proud of being ''not classify'' (not a Cru Classé or Bourgeois), being one of the only other estate having a terroir that is kind of similar to Lafite (highest slope in the Médoc), is a favorite of BWE (the 1996 at least). We had 8 vintages, trying to mix excellent and regular vintages, to have a good overview of what the Chateau can achieves...

In the following descriptions, I'm not talking about the color, as all the wines were deep red, like any concentrated Médoc, with a touche of purple. Just the 1986 was showing light signs of age...

1986 Chateau Sociando-Mallet : The oldest vintage and the wine I brought. Nose was closed at first, but opened quickly on soft cassis, red pepper, nut skin and dry leather. Refined nose. In mouth, fruit is mixed with other components, to give a concentrated mellowed Bordeaux. Cassis mixed with ripe cranberries, noble oak, soft spices. Decent long, fine tannins, with a medium to slightly longer finish that is just a notch alcoholic and ',piquant''. I like it but I think that was not a perfect bottle of the 1986. Other liked it more than me. TN : 91.

1996 Chateau Sociando-Mallet : A BWE favorite. The first BWE ''Wine of the Year''. And that night, it proves it is still deserved. Nose was the more intense that night. Complex too. Pink pepper belt, rasberries, cassis, tobacco, red pepper, after 2 hours, maybe a touch of wet furs. Intense and perfumed. In mouth, lot of black berries, cassis, soft spices, something floral. mid-palate is intense and balanced. Really long final on ripe tannins, perfumed with dark berries. Shining that night. TN : 94. A clear favorite around the table too.

1997 Chateau Sociando-Mallet : A controversial vintage. Nose was nice, with green peppers, creamy cassis, soft herbs, light spices. Mouth was less concentrated than the 2 first wines, but still respectable concentration. Herbaceous flavors, green peppers, light dark berries. medium finish. Well done and drinking nicely. At the end, I thought it was a good representative of that chateau. TN : 90.

1998 Chateau Sociando-Mallet: Aromas of ripe little red berries, floral, violet flowers, delicate nose, light black chocolate, and a touch of celery (hum?). Mouth is a bit denser than the 1997, the only wine tonight that the oak is a bit more pronouced. Cedar flavors, final is good, on oak and slightly sweet (vanilla, brown sugar?). A good wine too, apart that night, and some liked it a lot. Me less, because of the oak. But clearly nothing to throw away there. TN : 89.

2000 Chateau Sociando-Mallet : A mystery on that night. A wine impossible to analyze, appreciate or understand. A deception, as I don't know what happenned, and can't say it was a bad bottle. Nose of wet earth, green peppers, mineral, more earth, closed very much. In mouth, well, nothing. Hard mouth, weird balck fruit (concentrated prunes?), closed, bitter finish. Ouch. Judgment not done. An extremely wrong bottle. I can't believe this is the 2000 Sociando that other had.

2001 Chateau Sociando-Mallet : A good wine, especially after the 2000... Nose of black currants, rasberries, cassis, good fruit, light cinnamon, creamy seductive nose. in mouth, complex, good cassis flavors, mixed with again ripe rasberries, touch of vanilla from the oak, spices, and after 90-120 minutes, light game. medium intensity on the mid-palate, long final, with good presence, ripe tannins. Very good and exactly what you would expect from that Chateau. TN : 91.

2003 Chateau Sociando-Mallet : A riper style, with really good density. Nose of cinnamon ,dark berries, oak and soft fresh tobacco. Nice nose. Concentrated. In mouth, complex fruit lightly cook, ripe red/dark berries, exotic wood, fat wine, thick, dense. Ripe tannins, with a syrupy finish. Toffey vanilla on the final, mix with plums. Really good, and my second favorite that night. TN : 93+. Lot of potential there.

2005 Chateau Sociando-Mallet : more elegant than the 2003, but the style is similar. Concentrated nose of spices, cook berries, chocolate, vanilla, and thick black currants. In mouth, really good already, balanced, ripe dark berries, mineral, oak, tobacco. elegant closed finish, with potential as it is thick. Promising. TN : 91+. Next bottle should be opened in 10 years...

All in all, a really good tasting and Sociando-Mallet did not deceive (except the weird 2000). Each bottle was good, but when vintages are compared together, i really preferred the ''warmer or riper'' vintages. At the proposed price, that tasting confirmed the statement that Sociando-Mallet is a great wine for the price. No doubt. And that the wine can held time. The 2003 and 2005 seem somewhat dfferent than the previous vintage, like more concentrated, but keep a Northern Médoc touch, that I associate with dark berries/cassis.

A nice night.

Nic

[stefan]

Nice, Nic. It is about time that a BWEer did a vertical of this BWE favorite.

[rjsussex]

Thanks indeed, Nic

The 04 is wonderful and is my best QPR of this vintage that I like so much

Richard

[Blanquito]

Great notes, Nic. Nice to see that the 1996 SM is coming together. No complaints of over greenness, I see. The 2003 is a monster, a possible non-classified legend in the making... I've had the 86 SM three times and I've never been that impressed.

[tim]

Interesting, do you think based on that tasted that the 03 has the possibility to eclipse the 96 as it ages?

[JimHow]

Excellent report, Nicolas, I'm pleased to see the 1996 continuing to perform well.
I'm starting to develop a vertical of Sociando-Mallet that I'm planning on holding for a while.

[Blanquito]

I need get a vertical at least one Chateau. The closest I've got is like 5-6 vintages of a few chateau.

[DavidG]

Great read, Nic. Sorry to hear about the '00 - hope it was just a fluke bad bottle.

[rjsussex]

The 03 is one of only two 03s I kept (Barton the other): I don't think it will last that long - it's very good but the Barton has much more of a tannic spine.

Richard

[JCNorthway]

Nice notes, Nic. And it sounds like an enjoyable and interesting tasting. I had the 1996 not long ago, and I thought it was best I have had so far. It clearly will last for years, but I thought it was not likely to get better.

Jon