Chateau Sociando-Mallet 2016

Chateau Sociando-Mallet produces full-bodied wines with a deep, dark color. Their complex bouquet is usually dominated by black fruit aromas with a touch of minerality and well-integrated, elegant oak. Often somewhat "virile" when young, the wines gain in balance and complexity with age. They are fresh, straightforward, and have a wonderful length.

Chateau Sociando-Mallet has always been a wine with great aging potential. A wine to be enjoyed even after 30 years in great vintages.

Wine Advocate: 94
The 2016 Sociando-Mallet has a refulgent purple/black color. It has a very intense and rich, you might say "ambitious" bouquet with layers of small black cherries, blueberry and a touch of sloes, less tertiary than previous vintages and certainly more opulent. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy ripe tannin that almost disguise the firm structure underneath. I admire the completeness of this Sociando-Mallet, the neatly embroidered new oak and the freshness on the finish. The 2015 Sociando-Mallet did not fire on all cylinders last year, but this 2016 is totally convincing. It comes highly recommended as one of the best wines produced at this estate in the northern Médoc. This is an outstanding wine from Mon. Gartreau.

Wine Advocate: 94

The 2016 Sociando-Mallet has a refulgent purple/black color. It has a very intense and rich, you might say "ambitious" bouquet with layers of small black cherries, blueberry and a touch of sloes, less tertiary than previous vintages and certainly more opulent. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy ripe tannin that almost disguise the firm structure underneath. I admire the completeness of this Sociando-Mallet, the neatly embroidered new oak and the freshness on the finish. The 2015 Sociando-Mallet did not fire on all cylinders last year, but this 2016 is totally convincing. It comes highly recommended as one of the best wines produced at this estate in the northern Médoc. This is an outstanding wine from Mon. Gartreau.

Decanter: 92
Inky black in colour, with a beautiful graphite and black fruit nose. This is undoubtedly a great Sociando this year, with precise yet juicy graphite and black fruits on the palate, from a fairly even blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of Cabernet Franc too.

Vinous: 91
The 2016 Sociando Mallet is endowed with remarkable density and pure power, but it will be a number of years before the 2016 is ready to show all it’s got. Today, the wine's sheer luxuriousness is remarkable. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, spice and leather are all pushed forward. This is an especially concentrated, powerful vintage for Sociando, perhaps too much, but the wine's exotic beauty is, in my view, irresistible. Tasted two times.

Vinous: 91

The 2016 Sociando Mallet is endowed with remarkable density and pure power, but it will be a number of years before the 2016 is ready to show all it’s got. Today, the wine's sheer luxuriousness is remarkable. Black cherry, plum, chocolate, spice and leather are all pushed forward. This is an especially concentrated, powerful vintage for Sociando, perhaps too much, but the wine's exotic beauty is, in my view, irresistible. Tasted two times.

James Suckling: 94
Dark-berry and currant aromas with hints of spice. Medium body, firm and chewy tannins and a fresh and clean finish. Shows focus and seriousness for the appellation, as is usual from this producer. Better after 2022.