2009 Château Sociando-Mallet, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux

This uncompromising property has turned out a backward, forbiddingly tannic wine that, even in this very opulent and flamboyant vintage, will need a minimum of 10-15 years of cellaring yet keep for 40 or more years. Opaque black/purple, with notes of crushed rock, white flowers, graphite, blueberry and cassis, the wine is tight and needs to be coaxed from the glass. It is medium to full-bodied, with an excruciatingly tough-textured finish. Everything is here, and the wine is set for a long life, but it is not the least bit charming and certainly wont be for at least another decade.Robert M. Parker, Jr. - 29/02/2012

Deep purple. Scented and very well integrated but not as intensely sweet as most St-Estèphes. Hint of yeast extract. Very interesting! Lots of vitality. Lightly drying on the finish but with real character and restraint – just the merest hint of whisky barrels. jancis_robinson_mw MW - JancisRobinson.com - April 2010)

Dense colour, floral and quite intense nose, good depth of fruit, elegant and long with character and grip and a very good future.

Love the nose of currant and mineral, with hints of mint. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a medium finish. Tannic. Maybe too much. But I think it's going to come out excellent. james_suckling- Wine Spectator - April 2010)

This uncompromising property has turned out a backward, forbiddingly tannic wine that, even in this very opulent and flamboyant vintage, will need a minimum of 10-15 years of cellaring yet keep for 40 or more years. Opaque black/purple, with notes of crushed rock, white flowers, graphite, blueberry and cassis, the wine is tight and needs to be coaxed from the glass. It is medium to full-bodied, with an excruciatingly tough-textured finish. Everything is here, and the wine is set for a long life, but it is not the least bit charming and certainly won’t be for at least another decade. (90 robert_parker - Wine Advocate - Feb 2012) Ferocious tannins are not unusual for Sociando Mallet, but I was surprised that in a vintage that produced exceptionally tannic, but ripe wines, the Sociando Mallet tannins were atypically austere. Nevertheless, the wine boasts huge concentration along with an inky/purple color, a full-bodied, powerful palate, and a long finish. Excellent purity, density, and minerality are present in this cuvee, and it is capable of lasting 30-40 years. This estate is situated on some of the finest ferroir of the Haut-Medoc, near Calon-Segur in St. Estephe. (90-92+ robert_parker - Wine Advocate - April 2010)