About the Wine

The story of Jean Gautreau, owner of the winery Chateau Sociando-Mallet, captivated the world.  A passionate athlete, who arrived at the semi-finals of Roland Garros at just 18 years old, decided to switch gears and follow his entrepreneurial spirit, creating his own negociant firm back in 1957.

Gautreau, a really talented businessman, became a wine broker and innovated the wine industry in Bordeaux by spotting the opportunity for commercial growth; he introduced the idea of a “mobile bottling unit” to supply château- bottled wines to his customers.

Later on, he discovered Sociando- Mallet in the village of Saint- Seurin- de Cadourne, ten kilometers north of the celebrated region of Pauillac in Bordeaux, with the most incredible view of the Gironde. Despite the fact that the property was in need of renovations. The terroir was excellent and the domain afforded a magnificent view overlooking the Gironde Estuary. Sociando-Mallet's extraordinary terroir, consisting of Günz gravel with clay subsoil, is propitious to growing excellent Cabernet Sauvignon and producing wines with wonderful freshness.

He began by purchasing 5 hectares of territory; and later, his vision and talent drove him to improve progressively and expand the vineyards to produce themost superb, fresh, and wonderful wines. Seeking the best possible quality, Jean Gautreau, renovated the estate’s buildings, built a barrel cellar, and gradually improved the vineyards. Today, the property is comprised of 83 hectares producing nearly 450,000 bottles a year.

2012 Chateau Sociando-Mallet Haut-Medoc is the result of the passion and dedication of a man’s dream. Robert Parker said, “Once again proprietor Jean Gautreau has hit pay dirt with a beautiful blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc.”

Tasting Notes: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. A full-bodied deep dark color bodied wine, dominated by black fruit flavors and aromas, brilliant, elegant, complex wine with a hint of minerality, and great ability to age. This 2012 Chateau Sociando-Mallet Haut-Medoc wine, is perfect to pair with aged cheese, beef, poultry, or game.

Reviews

Attractive aromas of currants and black cherries. Fresh flowers, too. Medium-bodied with round, lightly chewy tannins, and a spicy and nicely flavorful finish. 60% cabernet sauvignon and 40% merlot. ~91 James Suckling. 

​​Dark, dense, and deep ruby-garnet. Nose with very nice, impressive ripe dark fruit. Lively and fresh on the palate with enormous fruit sweetness, but also with a heavy bite, hard and edgy on the outside, sweet on the inside, gripping minerality.A really good wine with a future that corresponds exactly to Sociando's terroir.~91 Falstaff. 

Once again proprietor Jean Gautreau has hit pay dirt with a beautiful blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc.Wonderfully sweet, ripe tannins seem to be a rule of thumb from this great terroir just to the north of St.-Estèphe’s Château Montrose. A beautiful deep ruby/purple color, decent acidity, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and stunning fruit put this wine right in the midst of the best-classified crus from the Médoc, yet it has never been classified. Go figure. Softer than I would have suspected (and I’ve been following and buying this wine since the mid-1970s), this wine will still age beautifully for 10-15+ years.~ 90 Robert Parker.

Dense color, strikingly pure Cabernet cassis nose, the richness of fruit, and firmness of ripe tannins, a wine of real class and as usual one of the very best Haut-Médoc. ~90 Decanter.

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