SOCIANDO MALLET 2005

Another awesome vintage from this château, the 2005 Château Sociando-Mallet reveals a healthy ruby hue as well as youthful aromatics of ripe blackcurrants, cedary herbs, green tobacco, and subtle floral notes. It’s beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied, and has remarkable purity and finesse paired with impressive density and depth. It still has some tannins, and this killer bottle of wine has another 2-3 decades of overall longevity. You should buy it if you see it and count yourself lucky if you have bottles in the cellar. The blend is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc.

(55% cabernet sauvignon and 45% merlot): Good medium ruby. Enticing aromas of raspberry, dark chocolate and sweet oak. Rich, silky and full but not at all heavy; round, fresh and nicely balanced. Very well delineated flavors of black and red fruits offer impressive lift. Finishes with substantial but very fine tannins that reach the front teeth. A moderate 13.1% alcohol, vs. 13.3% for the 2003.

This continues to be a firm and structured red with lots of slate, wet-earth and blackcurrant character. Full body, polished, chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. Give it time. Better after 2021.

It’s hard not to admire the brilliant Jean Gautreau, who has run this great terroir and estate (just to the north of St-Estèphe’s Château Montrose) with meticulous perfection for decades. The 2005 is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. Offering beautifully sweet crème de cassis and blueberries, this is concentrated essence of blue and black fruits, with some underlying minerality, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and stunning texture, length and purity. This is superb Sociando Mallet, with surprisingly sweet tannin, which is even more remarkable in this vintage of high and occasionally hard tannins. Give it another 4-5 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 30 years.