Château Sociando-Mallet - Haut-Médoc 2009

Jamessuckling.com

92 / 100

par James Suckling le 14/07/2014

Lots of currants, berries and chocolate on the nose and palate. Full and chewy. Solid tannin structure. Better in 2015

Wine Advocate

92 / 100

par Neal Martin le 01/01/2013

Served blind at the Southwold 2009 tasting. The Sociando '09 has a fragrant floral bouquet with lifted fresh strawberry, cassis and raspberry preserve that is well defined and generous. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins. This is very cohesive and focused with a backward but compelling finish that is fresh and vivacious. This is a wonderful northern Medoc. Tasted January 2013.

Wine Advocate

90 / 100

par Robert Parker le 29/02/2012

This uncompromising property has turned out a backward, forbiddingly tannic wine that, even in this very opulent and flamboyant vintage, will need a minimum of 10-15 years of cellaring yet keep for 40 or more years. Opaque black/purple, with notes of crushed rock, white flowers, graphite, blueberry and cassis, the wine is tight and needs to be coaxed from the glass. It is medium to full-bodied, with an excruciatingly tough-textured finish. Everything is here, and the wine is set for a long life, but it is not the least bit charming and certainly won’t be for at least another decade.

Jamessuckling.com

94 / 100

par James Suckling le 15/02/2012

Shows precision here, with floral, blueberry and mineral aromas that follow through to a full body and firm and racy tannins. Very polished texture to this wine. Goes on for minutes on the plate. Back in form! Try after 2017.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

89-91 / 100

par Ian D'Agata le 30/06/2010

Deep ruby. Blackcurrant, licorice, underbrush and smoky oak on the inviting nose, with hints of tobacco and minerals. Dense and chewy in the mouth, with brooding, ripe flavors of blackberry, dark plum and smoky, chocolatey oak given lift by firm acidity. Finishes with subtle length but its assertive tannins will require at least several years of patience once this wine is released. I'm a big fan of this overachieving property, which for my money usually produces one of the top five or six values in all of Bordeaux That said, I wonder if this chunky wine has the concentration to surpass top recent releases. (By the way, the '99 Sociando is delicious right now.)

Le Figaro

94-97 / 100

par Bernard Burtschy le 30/06/2010

Depuis une vingtaine d’années, le cru défraye la chronique par sa grande qualité et il rivalise dans les grands millésimes avec les premiers crus. Le 2009 est donc à scruter à la loupe d’autant que les prix sont toujours restés très tendres : profond, tannique, long, il possède la trame des grands vins, mais un petit creux lui interdit pour le moment d’atteindre les sommets. Est-ce dû à l’importance de son rendement dont personne ne fait mystère ou bien à une toute petite faiblesse passagère qui sera comblée à l’élevage ? Très grand ou exceptionnel ? On en saura un peu plus quand il sera en bouteille. La robe est très sombre et le nez discret. En bouche, l’attaque est impressionnante avec un très beau milieu de bouche, les tannins sont un rien durs avec une toute petite fluidité, belle finale. 55 % cabernet-sauvignon, 40 % merlot, 5 % cabernet-franc.

La Revue du Vin de France

17-18 / 20

le 31/05/2010

Synthèse du 2003 et du 2005, le 2009 est un vin immense de densité et de profondeur, avec un nez qui évoque les fruits noirs, les figues et les épices. "Il fallait gérer les degrés", précise Jean Gautreau qui lui reconnaît volontiers son caractère exotique. Avec sa masse tannique imposante et son corps plein, il est aujourd'hui impénétrable et mettra au moins dix ans pour se fondre et s'ouvrir totalement.

Le Point

17,5 / 20

par Jacques Dupont le 06/05/2010

55% cabernet sauvignon, 5% cabernet franc, 40% merlot. Fruits noirs, nez vif, bouche ronde, souple, élégante, assez fraîche, petite tension qui réveille la finale, frais, fingant, long, élégant. O=2016 G=25 ans

Wein Wisser

17 / 20

par René Gabriel le 30/04/2010

Sattes Purpur-Granat. Direktes Bouquet, Heidelbeeren und Cassis, frischen, aber reifen Cabernet (55 % in der Assemblage) anzeigend. Am Gaumen bei mittlerem Körper mit einer tollen blau- bis schwarzbeerigen Aromatik, feine Pfeffernote im Extrakt, tolle Länge. Ein Plaisir-Sociando, der mit etwas mehr Fett (von den Barriques) eventuell 18/20 Punkte erreichen kann. 2015–2028

TAST

16 / 20

par Bettane & Desseauve le 30/04/2010

Nez fin et droit, note de cassis, avec de la profondeur. Bouche suave, avec un joli fruit, bien enrobée, trame tannique sérieuse en finale. Les tanins sont assez fermes.

Wine Advocate

91-93 / 100

par Neal Martin le 30/04/2010

Tasted at a negociant. The Sociando ’09 has an intense blackberry and briary scented nose, touches of black plum and a hint of fruitcake. The palate is immediate enjoyable: very well balanced, finer tannins than I was expecting, delineated and focused with some lovely black, tar/cedar fruit towards the finish. Good length and precision. This is a great Sociando for the vintage. Tasted March 2010.

Decanter Magazine

17 / 20

par Steven Spurrier le 30/04/2010

Dense colour, floral and quite intense nose, good depth of fruit, elegant and long with character and grip and a very good future. Drink 2014-20.

Falstaff

91-93 / 100

par Peter Moser le 30/04/2010

Reife Zwetschkenfrucht, Feigen, opulentes Bukett, zarter Schokoanklang. Kraftvoll, rotbeerige Nuancen, frisch, präsente, noch etwas fordernde Tannine, monolithischer Stil, Weichseln im Abgang, gute Länge, mineralisches Finale.

Periodic Review of Wine

93-95 / 100

par Alan Duran le 28/04/2010

A return to the remarkable quality of the 2005 and 1996, both of which are top quality wines for this estate. The deeply-rimmed, saturated purple colored Sociando displays a fabulous aromatic profile of blueberry, black cherry liqueur, crème de cassis, wet-stone, flower, and graphite dust. Broad and potent flavors are joined by a lengthy richness consistig of crème de cassis and blueberry/black cherry fruit in addition to a large-scaled presence on the palate. It is another full-bodied, dense, muscular offering in this noteworthy vintage. This is complex Haut-Médoc with oodles of lingering nuances! Readers take note, this brand typically sells for good value.Maturity period 2016-2034

Wine Advocate

90-92 / 100

par Robert Parker le 28/04/2010

Ferocious tannins are not unusual for Sociando Mallet, but I was surprised that in a vintage that produced exceptionally tannic, but ripe wines, the Sociando Mallet tannins were atypically austere. Nevertheless, the wine boasts huge concentration along with an inky/purple color, a full-bodied, powerful palate, and a long finish. Excellent purity, density, and minerality are present in this cuvee, and it is capable of lasting 30-40 years. This estate is situated on some of the finest terroir of the Haut-Medoc, near Calon-Segur in St.- Estephe. (Tasted two times.) Drink 2010-2050. (90-92+) points

Anthony Rose

92-94 / 100

par Anthony Rose le 26/04/2010

Big rich dense colour, fine, intense nose, very rich dense and sweetly concentrated plum and cassis fruit, immensely rich in fact and very dense with a lovely opulence and amazing cabernet ripeness whose freshness and suave tannins save it from being either jammy or rustic. It's a big wine, cru classé standard, an impressive wine with great grip and structure.

Jancis Robinson

16,5 / 20

par Jancis Robinson le 07/04/2010

Deep purple. Scented and very well integrated but not as intensely sweet as most St-Estèphes. Hint of yeast extract. Very interesting! Lots of vitality. Lightly drying on the finish but with real character and restraint – just the merest hint of whisky barrels. Drink 2017-2030

Wine Spectator

89-92 / 100

par James Suckling le 05/04/2010

Love the nose of currant and mineral, with hints of mint. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a medium finish. Tannic. Maybe too much. But I think it's going to come out excellent.