Chateau Sociando-Mallet Haut-Medoc(2003)

Parker 94: Sociando-Mallet is the poster child for what cru bourgeois estates can achieve. This is a wine that is consistently of classified-growth quality and also one of the longest lived wines made in the Medoc. An exceptional vintage for Sociando-Mallet, 2003 has produced a spectacularly concentrated, inky blue/purple-colored wine with an extraordinary nose of blackberries, raspberries, some white flowers, and a hint of lead pencil shavings. The wine is powerful, extremely full-bodied, quite tannic, and seriously endowed. This is stunning wine that is rich, layered, and in need of 5-6 years of bottle-age. It should keep for 30+ years. It is certainly a riveting effort for the vintage and, as I wrote last year, probably a modern-day version of a hypothetical blend of a 1970 and a 1982."" (04/06) Wine Spectator 92: Beautiful and intense aromas of blackberry, lightly grilled meat and currant. Full-bodied, with loads of fruit and big, velvety tannins. Blockbuster. Best after 2012. 24,750 cases made. (JS) Decanter 4 Stars: Dark colour. Cassis-mineral notes. Ripe fruit with balance, length and freshness. Structure for ageing. Shows class. Drink 2010-20. (11/05) Farr Vintners 16+: This is a serious and consistent Northern Médoc property whose wines have been of top Classed Growth quality for many years. Made from 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, aged in all-new oak, the wines here are always dense and impressive. Black and inky. A monster wine and perhaps the best Sociando Mallet ever. This wine is sometimes too tough for its own good but in 2003 (like in 1996 and 1990) the Cabernet has reached optimum ripeness and there is an extra dimension of richness as well as power and density. Big stuff. Recommended. """    (hide)