Château Sociando-Mallet 2015

Warm cassia and cherry paste flavors are carried by a light chalky spine, picking up flecks of savory and tobacco on the fresh finish. Shows nice typicity. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2022. 24,212 cases made, 1,000 cases imported.

There’s sightly more Merlot than Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend, however the latter dominates the dense nose. This is outstanding even by Sociando’s own high standards: rich and robust, fleshy and concentrated; wonderfully generous fruit, with ripe tannins and a long finish.

Some graphite and toasted spicy fruits, which create an impressive opening. Iodine and dark berries follow. The palate has a similarly spicy start, which builds waves of fine, ripe tannins that hold impressively fresh and deep. Try from 2022.

One of the standouts of the vintage, the 2015 Sociando Mallet is all finesse. Light on its feet, gracious and super-expressive, the 2015 speaks to class above all else. The flavors are bright and beautifully lifted in this polished, sophisticated Haut-Médoc. Although a touch light, the 2015 is very pretty. The blend is 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc.

Medium-bodied, firm, bright, crisp, earthy and spicy, the bright red berries are accompanied by cedar, tobacco, herbs, espresso bean and earth, with a touch of austerity on the finish. The wine is a blend of 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim, very attractive black berry fruit of cassis and blueberries, inviting fruit expression, candied orange zest. Juicy, elegant, fine blackberry fruit, integrated tannins, mineral and persistent, very good length, good ageing potential.

Deep purple, dense at the core, with garnet glints on the rim. Spicy bouquet showing blueberries, blackberries, then black peppercorns. Firm palate with plenty of flesh, a superb Cabernet aromatic profile and clearly blueberry-driven notes that carry through to the finish. After Sociando had a run of 17-point scores from 2011 to 2014, it must unfortunately settle for the same rating again in this rather substantial vintage.

Deep purple, dense at the core, with a garnet sheen at the rim. Spicy bouquet showing blueberries, blackberries, then black peppercorns. Firm palate, offering plenty of flesh, boasting a great Cabernet character, and finishing distinctly on blueberry. After Sociando received a score of 17 from 2011 to 2014, it unfortunately has to settle for the same rating in this quite substantial vintage as well.

Dense, deep, dark, powerful bouquet, blue and black berries, currants, black truffle. Dense, multi-layered, powerful palate with intense fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a muscular yet elegant structure, dark, assertive aromatics, and a very long, concentrated finish with lots of lingering flavors. 18/20 2022 - 2045

Grilled raspberry, smoky, soft brambled hedgerow fruits, good quality, highlighting the gourmet edge of 2014 but a little softer overall than the vintages on either side. Appealing and unfussy, still with the tannic grip that Sociando does so well. 47 hl/ha yield, last year with Vincent Faure as director. 100% new oak, unfiltered and unfined, 77 ha in production.

We appreciate its complexity and energy. Elegant aromas, intense fruit, cedar and flint, a very structured, vigorous palate with excellent-quality tannins and plenty of freshness.

The 2015 seems to be firming up a little; this generously Merlot-driven wine is charming, but we do not find the brilliance that has made the estate’s legend.

Garnet red with violet highlights. A bouquet of good intensity, complex, fruity and floral. The nose gains in complexity over the minutes, revealing notes of licorice, pepper and blackberry. A pleasant touch of freshness with hints of mint. Juicy, fruit-forward entry. On the palate, the wine stands out for its power and for tannins that develop slowly. Beautiful fruit intensity, perfectly supported by the structure, which also brings freshness. A fruity, persistent finish. A great Sociando. Bravo.

Beautiful dark color, deep purple and intense. Very aromatic nose, delicate, fruity and creamy. Soft on the attack, caressing as it unfolds, well-built, flavorful at mid-palate, the wine stretches out on the finish with lovely length, a touch austere but quintessentially Médoc. It’s very good.