Chateau Sociando Mallet 2020

JAMES SUCKLING: "This has a pretty nose with dark spices, nut shell and cedar notes with a dark fruit backbone, following through to a medium body with firm and finely polished tannins that go on and on. Refined and nicely balanced with velvety texture. Lingering and chalky finish. Try after 2026."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Every bit as good as the 2019, although in a slightly more concentrated, burly style, the 2020 Château Sociando-Mallet is close to an even split of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with a splash of Cabernet Franc, all from vines located just north of Saint-Estèphe. It brings lots of ripeness and richness, with darker currants, plums, leafy tobacco, chocolate, and graphite-like aromatics that build nicely with time in the glass. These all carry to a medium to full-bodied Haut-Médoc revealing a deep, layered mid-palate, ripe, sweet tannins, plenty of concentration, and a great finish. Where the 2019 is silky and elegant, this is more in your face and foursquare, and it's mostly potential at this stage, although it clearly offers pleasure even today with its wealth of fruit. It's going to hit maturity around a decade after the vintage and, I suspect, will keep for 2-3 decades."

FALSTAFF: "Duft: Blaubeere, Wildkirsche, florale Töne. Im Mund fest gebaut, feinkörniges, sehr frisches und straffes Tannin, in Menge und Qualität zum Ensemble aus Frucht und Körper passend und ohne Grüntöne, gut integrierte Säure, profund mineralisch und pointiert abklingend. Ein geschliffener, kompakter, klassischer Sociando."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Deeply colored, with a nose offering flowers, touches of chocolate, wet earth, herbs and dark red spicy fruits. The wine is full-bodied, with a generous splash of black fruits, savory herbs and cocoa. Long and full in the mouth, this will age and develop for at least 3 decades with little effort."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2020 Sociando-Mallet is very attractive, exhibiting aromas of cassis and plums mingled with notions of pencil shavings, loamy soil, tobacco leaf and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with lively acids and powdery tannins, it's a strong effort from a site that always does well in warm vintages. The 2020 is a blend of 53% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc."

WEINWISSER: "53 % Merlot, 46 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc, 42 hl/ha, pH 3.5, Alkohol 14 vol%. Purpur mit opaker Mitte und zartem lila Rand. Delikates Bouquet mit frisch gepflückter schwarzer Johannisbeere und zartem Veilchenparfüm, dahinter Lakritze, spürbare Terroirwürze und heller Tabak. Am dichten Gaumen mit cremiger Textur, herrliche Extraktfülle, stützende Rasse und stützendes Tanningerüst. Im gebündelten Finale schwarzbeerige Konturen, dunkles Graphit, zarte kernige Noten im Untergrund und fein mürbe Adstringenz. Kann noch zulegen, erinnert mich an den 2016er!"

DECANTER: "Wonderfully fragrant on the nose, just stopping short of being potent. Glorious perfumed scents and rich, ripe black fruits. Clean and clear, this has a lively energy to it and a little bit of liquorice which gives a savoury, dark and sticky edge to the fruit. Clarity, classicism and precision on show. Sculpted, muscular, grippy and chewy. Excellent potential with a slate and coffee-toned finish."