Sociando Mallet

Château Sociando Mallet

Classification: Grand Cru

Château Sociando Mallet is in the unusual situation of not being a classed growth when it should be. It was never entered into the Classification despite turning out wines of such quality that it out performs many that are produced by its neighbours.  Château Sociando Mallet dates back to the 1600s and takes its name from a Basque nobleman, Sociando, and a later owner, a naval captain named Mallet. The Château and vineyards lie in the commune of Saint Seurin de Cadourne on the Left Bank, north of Saint Estèphe.

The Château was purchased in 1969 by Jean Gautreau, a négociant from Lesparre, who has opted to remain out of the classification system. When Gautreau bought the Château Sociando Mallet  it was a forgotten and derelict property of vastly reduced land. However the terroir is the same band of gravel that runs beneath the vines of Château Latour and Gautreau saw the potential that others had not. The Château has benefited from 4 decades of investment and improvement and the wines have been the insider's choice for top quality wines.

The vineyards stretch over 123 acres on a gravel outcrop that slopes away from the buildings at the top of the estate. The varieties planted are 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, the remaining 5% part Cabernet Franc and part Petit Verdot.

Wine Style
Château Sociando Mallet inky purple wines have an unusual capacity for longevity and are one of the longest lived wines made in the Médoc. They are powerful, full bodied, tannic and rich. They are fragrant and have notes of blackberries, raspberries, blossom blueberries and wood.

Owner: Jean Gautreau
Oenologist: Michel Couasnon