Chateau Sociando Mallet Haut-Medoc 2018

Decanter : 95 Points

(1/4/2022) Some savoury elements on the nose, olive and black tapenade. Excellent concentration on the palate, less fruit forward at this point than the Demoiselle second wine, but excellent tension and power – really taut, all in line, straight, driven. A lot going on aromatically – cinnamon, cigar box, cedar, smoke and dark chocolate – really super-complex, with tannins that are smooth but present and a minty finish. Layered and precise, you can feel the sculpting of the fruits and the well-handled oak and extraction. Excellent. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2045.

James Suckling : 95 Points

(1/17/2022) Redcurrants with sweet tobacco, hazelnut, mint and moist earth, following through to a medium to full body, ultra-fine tannins and a palate that grows at the finish. Needs a minimum of three or four years to come around. Try after 2025.

Vinous - Neal Martin : 94 Points

(12/2021) The 2019 Sociando-Mallet has gained composure since I tasted the barrel sample. Now it has engaging red and black fruit, cedar and freshly rolled tobacco scents, focused and quite vigorous. The palate is structured, with firm grip, very well-judged acidity, good substance and a cohesive, black-pepper- and pencil-lead-tinged finish that has real length. Top-drawer Sociando-Mallet. Drinking window: 2024 - 2045.