Chateau Sociando Mallet (750ml)
-
Wine Type
Red Wine
-
Size
750ml
-
Vintage
2011
-
Country
France
-
Region
Bordeaux
-
Sub-Region
Haut Medoc
-
Grape
Cabernet Sauvignon
-
Food Pairing
SteakLambRoast meats
-
Farming Method
ConventionalMost products with this label come from producers who do their best to avoid any intervention at all but it’s possible that some of the aforementioned preventative measures and additions are deemed necessary. Learn More
Jean Gautreau was the founder of Sociando Mallet. He was born in 1927 into a family that had no ties to the Bordeaux wine industry, but a series of events and s strong business savvy led him to take advantage of an opportunity in 1950 to become an independent wine broker and then to create his own négociant firm in 1957. He soon found customers in Belgium and the Netherlands and developed a flourishing trade in quality Bordeaux wines. He innovated by introducing the concept of mobile bottling units to provide château-bottled wines to his clients. Jean Gautreau discovered Sociando-Mallet in the village of Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne, ten kilometers north of Pauillac, in 1969 when looking for a wine estate to buy on behalf of a Belgian client. It was love at first sight, despite the fact that the property was in a sorry state. He saw that the terroir was excellent and the domain afforded a magnificent view overlooking the Gironde Estuary.
Today, the property is comprised of 83 hectares producing nearly 450,000 bottles a year of Château Sociando-Mallet and the second wine, Demoiselle de Sociando-Mallet. Jean Gautreau sold his négociant business in 2000 to focus entirely on managing his wine estate. He passed away in 2019. Gautreau is succeeded by his daughter, and only child, Sylvie who now manages the estate and has done since being handed control on the eve of Jean’s 90th birthday, and grandson Arthur.
Tasting Notes
Château Sociando-Mallet produces full-bodied wines with a deep, dark colour. Their complex bouquet is usually dominated by black fruit aromas with a touch of minerality and well-integrated, elegant oak. Often somewhat “virile” when young, the wines gain in balance and complexity with age. They are fresh, straightforward, and have a wonderful length. Château Sociando-Mallet has always been a wine with great ageing potential. A wine to be enjoyed even after 30 years in great vintages.
Method
Sociando-Mallet is situated on some of the finest gravelly terroirs in the Médoc. Its terroir consists of Günz gravel over a deep layer of clay-limestone soil. This terroir perfectly regulates water supply and enables Cabernet Sauvignon to ripen extremely well and Merlot to acquire depth and complexity. Grape varieties consist of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 54% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc. The vines are an average 35 years old.
The wine is vinified traditionally. Only native yeast and bacteria naturally present on the grapes and at the estate are used and fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel and concrete vats. The wines ferment and then are put in barrel to age for 18 months before bottling. Special attention is paid to the quality of the corks, which are purchased according to strict specifications. They must be good enough to ensure perfect ageing for long periods, sometimes more than 40 years.
Reviews