The Still & The VineSchool of Wine & Spirits
Château Sociando-Mallet Les Landes de Sociando 2020
Red Wine

Château Sociando-Mallet Les Landes de Sociando 2020

Château Sociando-Mallet

Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France
This second wine of the celebrated Sociando-Mallet estate delivers a striking amount of the grand vin's character at a fraction of the price. The 2020 vintage's warmth gave the fruit extra concentration without sacrificing the property's signature freshness. It drinks well now but has the tannin structure to reward three to five years of cellaring.

Kit Aromas

Tasting Notes

Nose

Ripe blackcurrant and black cherry dominate, with cedar shavings and a subtle green pepper note providing classic Médoc character. A thread of violet and toasted oak emerges as the wine breathes.

Palate

Medium to full-bodied, with firm but polished tannins framing dark berry fruit. The mid-palate offers a minty freshness alongside toasted notes, with the Cabernet Sauvignon backbone providing structure and length.

Finish

Medium-long, with cedar, blackcurrant, and a graphite-like mineral persistence.

Specifications
Varietal
Cabernet Sauvignon
Blend
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc
Vineyards
Estate vineyards in Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne, Haut-Médoc, on gravel and clay soils overlooking the Gironde estuary
Alcohol
14.0%
Organic / Biodynamic
No
Serve & Pair

Food Pairing

The wine's cedary structure and blackcurrant fruit complement herb-crusted lamb chops, while the rosemary jus echoes the wine's herbal undertones and the fat from the lamb softens the tannins.

The Story

Produced from younger vines on the Sociando-Mallet estate in Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne, this second label was championed by the legendary Jean Gautreau, who spent over five decades proving that terroir could triumph over classification.

Train These Aromas
Comments

Be the first to comment.

Leave a comment

0 / 4,000

First-time comments are reviewed before appearing. Be kind, be specific, no spam.

More Red Wine Reviews
Clos Erasmus Priorat 2019
Red Wine

Clos Erasmus Priorat 2019

Clos Erasmus

Daphne Glorian's Clos Erasmus remains one of Priorat's most profound wines. The 2019 vintage captures the tension between the region's extreme heat and the llicorella slate soils that force the old Grenache and Syrah vines to dig deep. It's a wine of fire and stone — powerful but breathtakingly precise.

Domaine du Vissoux Moulin-à-Vent Les Trois Roches 2022
Red Wine

Domaine du Vissoux Moulin-à-Vent Les Trois Roches 2022

Domaine du Vissoux

Pierre-Marie Chermette's Les Trois Roches is Gamay at its most serious — a Moulin-à-Vent that demonstrates why this cru has historically been compared to Burgundy. The 2022 vintage delivers concentration without sacrificing the energy and transparency that define great Beaujolais.

Girolamo Russo Etna Rosso 'a Rina 2021
Red Wine

Girolamo Russo Etna Rosso 'a Rina 2021

Girolamo Russo

Girolamo Russo is among the finest interpreters of Etna's Nerello Mascalese, and 'a Rina captures the north slope's unique combination of altitude, volcanic soil, and old-vine intensity. This is Burgundian in structure but unmistakably Sicilian in soul — a wine shaped by difficulty, grown in soil that resists easy cultivation.

Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge Cuvée de la Reine des Bois 2020
Red Wine

Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge Cuvée de la Reine des Bois 2020

Domaine de la Mordorée

The Cuvée de la Reine des Bois consistently stands among the top cuvées of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and 2020 is a great vintage for the southern Rhône. The wine has the concentration and structure to age for two decades, but its balance makes it approachable now with a proper decant. This is Châteauneuf that knows what it is.