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Wine: Sociando Mallet -
Vintage:
1996
Region: France - Bordeaux - Haut Medoc/Medoc
Varietal: Bordeaux Blend (Red)
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| Now in its ninth year, this wine just keeps on getting better. It still has a long ways to go, of course, but it seems to be evolving at a steady pace. This is not some "monolithic" or "glacial" wine (unlike, say, the 1996 Pontet Canet). This bottle showed off an outstanding bouquet. The wine is defined by that earthy, rugged St. Estephe-like character that most probably enjoy but some might not like. It is almost Montrose-like. Full-bodied, with a beautiful deep ruby-purplish color. I just really love this wine, it has almost never disappointed. It will continue to improve for another twenty years. |
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| This is not showing nearly as well as it was upon release, when it was just a glorious fruit bomb. Now everything is more subdued, the nose isn't as flamboyant and it's just in hibernation I suppose. Still a very nice wine, but it's going to need some more time, not surprising. |
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| Black and opaque core, starting to ruby at the rim. The nose has a beautiful perfume of cassis, black olive, coffee, and liquid black cherry. The palate has smoothed out quite a bit, and is now getting to the texture of silk, with fine grained graphite-like tannins, good balance between the cassis/cherry fruit and acidity, and the amazing thing is that this is still very closed down. It's not showing at its best, which is pretty scary. Sexy sexy wine, 15+ on the finish. Still needs 2 years or so to come around. |
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| 96 Sociando Mallet [Haut Medoc] This is an excellent wine that continues to please. It has long finish with big deep black fruit flavors that rolls into gentle yet powerful tannins that hint of great aging potential. Drinking it now may be premature but like premature ejaculation is still fun. 90 pts. |
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Nose: Tar, liquorice, lead pencil, pencil shavings, dark cherries.
Mouth: Hollow mid-palate, muted fruit, rather astringent and short finish, drying tannins, meat.
This one is in the deep sleep. 87+ points. |
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| Still dark inky purple/black the way good Cabs can be. Completely opaque. Black holes ain't got nothing on this wine.... The nose screams Bordeaux: Cassis, bell pepper, just a regal and overpowering perfume of Bordeaux wafting around. After being decanted for an hour or two, I realized that this wine hasn't moved an inch in the year or so it's been since I had it last. Sure, the tannins are a little more integrated, but this is still a primary, backwards, beasty wine, and judging from the smoother tannins, I don't think this is going to shut down, it'll just get some nice secondary cigarbox aromas in about 10 years. Long, lingering, soft finish, but this is deceptive as the tannins have taken on a transparent quality. |
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| This is a very dark opaque wine. It has a very nice bouquet but upon tasting there is massive amount of 'grip'. I like tannic wines but prefer to pair them off against juicy ribeyes or tender legs of lamb. In this case neither was available so it was noticeable how much of a tannic lifeline is still there. I'm glad I have more of this but I'll check on this maybe after the next Presidential election! 90 pts. |
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| Inky core, purplish-black at edge. Nose is powerful, currant, bell pepper, spicy oak. Even 3 hours in decanter does nothing to tame this. On the palate, these scents become flavors that caress the palate, being both massive and nimble at the same time. I believe someone said 'this just floats off the tongue', which I can understand. Long finish, massive, needs a lot of time, S-M hung the moon on this one. I had about one and a half glasses left, so I refrigerated the decanter with nothing on top, and even after 26 hours of being open, this was still a primary beastie. Wow. |
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| Massive opaque purple color: a wall of wine. Surprisingly giving nose with notes of cocoa and black-and-purple berry fruits. Seriously tannic and youthful on the palate, but revealing hints of grapey extract, plums, and chocolate. This one may outlive me (I'm 41)! Continued to evolve through the night. It developed (after about 3 hrs in the decanter) a noticible herbaceous element on the nose (I'd almost describe it as "funky" although it was not unpleasant). After another hour this had completely disappeared (the herb thing, not the wine), and the nose showed significantly more ripe fruit. |
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| Our beloved child had a bad day. My sense is that it might just be beginning to shut down. Don't panic, it is still the same wine we all know and love. It just seemed a bit thinner than the fruit bomb I recall from a few months ago. This was actually the second bottle I have had recently that raises concern. Such is the evolution of great wine. |
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| ($34) - Decanted 2 hours prior. Slightly musty tasting glass blew off to reveal *tons* of blackcurrant, some spicy bell pepper (which I associate with Bordeaux now), and beautiful spicy, oaky vanilla. Gained depth in decanter nicely. First glass with dinner has an inky-black core, completely opaque, with dark ruby/purple overtones at rim. Nose of currants and spicy bell pepper. On palate, it's almost sweet, incredibly concentrated, with a beautiful segue between the bell pepper notes and spicy oak tannins. It's amazing that this wine is so etherially tannic for how monstrous it is. 25+ second finish, just fantastic. On a whim, I refrigerated the last glass with no cover on the decanter. 17 hours post-opening, the thing was still going, with the wine now showing less bell pepper, and more silky-smoothness. Drinking wonderfully now, will be better in 10ish years. Amazing. |
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| if you liked the Duhart 96, you'll love this wine. Straight up classic claret: cassis, wood and leather. Very elegant and balanced, but still masculine. The tannins are there, but they are in complete harmony with the fruit. The kind of wine you should purchase by the case instead of laying down a case of a first growth. I suggest you buy 4-12 bottles, if you can get it for less than $37 US a piece.. 92-93 points. |
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| We loved it! If I'd have had a blindfold on, I would have guessed a young '89 Lynch Bages. It is big, earthy, burly, a beautiful dense purple, thick, profound lead-pencil on the nose. |
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| I have the 96 open right now. The nose filled the room with cassis, cherry and lead pencil within minutes of opening. After less than an hour the wine had opened up remarkably showing some tannis, nice acidity, big black cherry, lead pencil and a little cigar bosx at the end. It is easy to see how this wine caught everyone's taste buds in France; it is incredibly accessible for a 96. The wine gets deeper and more complex with every sip and has a nice mouth-filling body to it. Sure it's way young evidenced by iots slightly green taste and only slightly rough edges, but it's a definite repurchase for me. Three and a half ums out of four. |
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