Château Sociando Mallet 1990 92/100 PARKER 96/100 WINE SPECTATOR 17/20 JANICE ROBINSON Château Sociando-Mallet takes its name from the owner of the place in the 17th century, Mr. Sociando, a name later supplemented by a certain Mrs. Mallet who acquired the estate in the 19th century. The latter passed from hand to hand until his blessed redemption by Jean Gautreau in 1969. The property was in tatters and, apart from its proximity to the Gironde, few elements foreshadowed the potential of this area. From then on, Château Sociando-Mallet continued to bring, to each new vintage, proof of its belonging to the circle of the best vintages of the Médoc, although on the sidelines of any ranking today. After having long seen his wine be among the elite of the Crus Bourgeois du Médoc, the owner refused, in 2003, to bring it into the scope of the revision of the ranking, believing, probably rightly, that it rather deserved the rank of Cru Classé. An exceptional gravel terroir - as evidenced by the name of the place of origin "Terres Nobles" -, severe harvesting and sorting carried out by hand, long cuvasions in new oak barrels... everything seems to indicate that we are dealing with a big one, and the tasting confirms it! The wines of Sociando-Mallet are dressed in a remarkably dark dress, almost ink, suggesting the incredible concentration they present. The vines, about thirty years old on average, extend over 85 hectares of soil composed of Guntzian gravel and a limestone clay subsoil. This climate feeds robust wines in their youth, which are refined and become magnificent in richness and flexibility over the years. The powerful aromas of red fruits, tastyly expressed by raspberry, are then adorned with subtle touches of toast. The castle is particularly recognized for the subtle woody notes perfectly integrated into the structure of its wines. To obtain this marked character trait, the juices pass for 12 months through a controlled aging to the fingertips, in barrels.