Sociando Mallet 1996

[Comte Flaneur]

This bottle was very much alive but woody, peppery, dominated by green notes, and fruit shy. Medium bodied, does frankly not provide a lot of pleasure. Was this just a disappointing bottle, or is this wine going through a protracted awkward phase or is it just not what it is cracked up to be? Judgement reserved. Last bottle out of case one, two more to go.

[Comte Flaneur]

After 2 1/2 hours it is definitely improving, and it has a good texture. But it is so green. This green and unpleasant wine.

[BordeauxKassett]

Must have been an off bottle. Had this a year ago and the wine was really shining! No real herbalism present and the quality of the fruit was just so awesome. I suspected then that this wine should lay down until 2018 for optimum drinking pleasure, but I may of course be wrong about that...

[stefan]

My 96 SM are drinking very well now.

[jal]

My 96 SM are drinking very well now.

So are mine but the green pepper is noticeable. I guess I'm not as sensitive as you, Ian

[Comte Flaneur]

Yes maybe it was faulty. Today we got a lot of brine, seashore and (dead) cuttle fish; the jolly green giant had disappeared. We don't think it was corked, but it certainly was not in tip top order.

I have drunk a lot of these, a case actually, and don't really get this wine. Sometimes it has been good, some times underwhelming and always seemingly young/backward.

In the BWE SM vertical we did in NYC in 2006 the 1996 it was amongst the also rans. The 1982, 1986' 1989, 1990, 2000 were better. So we're the the 1995 and 2003 frankly. But I remember on that occasion people commenting it was not in form.