Castle Sociando-Mallet - Haut Médoc 2011
Less than 1 km west of Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne, the vineyards slope gently towards the Gironde which offers us to our view in a vast panorama. We are halfway up the Medoc Peninsula, just north of Saint-Estèphe, from which we can see the characteristic silhouette of the bell tower on our right. It was this marvelous view that prompted Jean Gautreau to acquire the estate Sociando-Mallet in 1969, a domain in pitiful condition and of which only 5 hectares remained in vineyards. Perfectionist, it did not take long not only to put the domain back on track, but also to raise it to the level of the best classified wines of the Medoc. Many observers consider Sociando Mallet at the level of a third classified growth (some say even 2nd) and it is often cited as an example to demonstrate the need to review the immutable ranking of 1855.