| Region of Production: | Haut-Médoc AOP |
| Winery Location: | St-Seurin-de-Cadourne (north of Saint-Estèphe) |
| Year Established: | 1969 |
| Classification: | None |
Vineyard Holdings
85 ha
- 48% Cabernet Sauvignon
- 47% Merlot
- 5% Cabernet Franc
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Château Sociando-Mallet: Inaugural vintage 1969.
- La Damoiselle de Sociando-Mallet: Second wine. Inaugural vintage 1989.
- Jean Gautreau: Barrel selection of top lots. Inaugural vintage 1995.
Average Total Production
- 500,000
Summary
Sociando-Mallet, named after two former owners – a 17th-century aristocrat (Sociando) and a 19th-century naval captain (Mallet) – was a winemaking property of minor importance in the 1855, when it failed to earn classification. Conventional thinking places it too far north for good soil or good wine in the Médoc, but an ex-négociant named Jean Gautreau gave convention pause with his purchase of the estate in 1969. He found a vein of gravel, expanded the vineyard from 5 ha to its present size, and began releasing a string of increasingly quality wines.
Style & Vinification Techniques
From its breakout vintages in the 1980s through the modern day, Sociando-Mallet has proven itself as a rich, luscious wine of classed-growth quality, yet it wears oak, ripe fruit, and modern tannic texture on its sleeve. The grand vin is the product of unabashedly high yields, but it easily maintains concentration through must concentration and/or saignée. The top wine is usually split between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, while the second wine may contain 75% Merlot. The grand vin is treated to 12 months of mostly new oak, and the barrel selection “Jean Gautreau” spends an additional six months in barrique.
Producer Website: Château Sociando-Mallet