Chateau Sociando Mallet 2018

DECANTER: "A beautiful rich damson colour, this is powerful, intense, classic Sociando - and for me it's even better than the 2016. It has good tannins, and lots of them, with a core of plum, damson and cassis with a side of fresh herbs, liquorice and subtle spice. It shows great persistency. A wine to look out for. Drinking Window 2024 - 2038."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feine Edelholzwürze, schwarze Beerenfrucht, Nuancen von Lakritze, Orangenzesten, etwas Nougat. Saftig, kraftvoll, elegant, süße Kirschen, reife Tannine, mineralisch und frisch, sicheres Reifepotenzial."

ANTONIO GALLONI: "The 2018 Sociando Mallet, which comes wrapped in a resplendent 50th-anniversary label to celebrate the late Jean Gautreau’s acquisition of the estate, takes some time to really coalesce on the nose, eventually revealing boysenberry and mulberry scents and cedar and light earthy aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins that belie the concentration of this Sociando-Mallet. Very cohesive, it delivers plenty of red fruit mixed with sous-bois and tobacco, though there is just a little more dryness on the finish than I was expecting. Give it 3–5 years in bottle if you can."

JAMES SUCKLING: "I like the blueberry, chocolate, blackcurrant and dark chocolate. Some tar and crushed lead pencil, too. Full body and firm, creamy tannins with a lovely texture and roundness. Extremely well polished and exciting. One of the best Sociandos in a long time. Best after 2025."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Clearly, a contender for the best wine ever produced here. Even though it is an infant, it is hard not to enjoy the cornucopia of ripe, red berries, black plums and blackberries that come along with a judicious dose of new French oak, tobacco leaf, fresh herbs, cigar box and cedar. The wine has a solid depth of flavor and a long, chewy blast of ripe red fruits in the endnote. The wine is also bottled with a special, commemorative, one-time-only, black and gold label, celebrating 50 years of ownership by the Gautreau family."

WEINWISSER: "Undurchsichtiges Purpur mit schwarzer Mitte. Betörendes Bouquet mit schwarzen Johannisbeeren und dunklen Schokotrüffeln, dahinter Veilchen Lakritze und Brombeergelee. Am mächtigen Gaumen mit viel Fruchtdruck, reife Extraktfülle und massiger Körper, perfekt gestützt von einem engmaschigem Tanningerüst. Im aromatischen nicht enden wollenden Finale ein Feuerwerk mit schwarzbeerigen Konturen, exotischen Hölzern und dominikanischem Tabak. Gehört auch in diesem Jahr zu unseren Top- Best-Buys-Empfehlungen. Zum 50. Jahrgang mit edler schwarzer Jubiläumsetikette – Chapeau Familie Gautreau!"