Medoc & Haut - Medoc

A fabulous sleeper of the vintage, this estate, which has made a succession of brilliant wines under the administration of Bordeaux’s visionary Bernard Magrez, has turned out another terrific effort. A blend of 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, this wine exhibits a sensational smorgasbord of aromas ranging from red and black fruits to toasty oak to licorice, high quality cigar tobacco, and spice box. Flavorful and full-bodied, with rich fruit, moderate but sweet tannin, and a long, pure finish, this is a dazzling effort in 2006 that should hit its adolescent stage in about 4-5 years and last for two decades. Excellent value.
(181, The Wine Advocate)

It’s hard not to admire the brilliant Jean Gautreau, who has run this great terroir and estate (just to the north of St-Estèphe’s Château Montrose) with meticulous perfection for decades. The 2005 is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc. Offering beautifully sweet crème de cassis and blueberries, this is concentrated essence of blue and black fruits, with some underlying minerality, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and stunning texture, length and purity. This is superb Sociando Mallet, with surprisingly sweet tannin, which is even more remarkable in this vintage of high and occasionally hard tannins. Give it another 4-5 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 30 years.
(219, The Wine Advocate)