Sociando-Mallet

History of Château Sociando-Mallet

The origins of Château Sociando-Mallet date back to the 17th century, when the Basque Sociondo family, which became Sociando by orthographic deformation, settled in the village of Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne. In 1850, after the marriage of Marie-Elisabeth Alaret to Captain Achille Mallet, the estate took the name Sociando-Mallet, in homage to the two founding families. The estate then passed from hand to hand until 1969, marking the beginning of the modern era with the arrival of Jean Gautreau.

Born in 1927, Jean Gautreau was a passionate Bordeaux merchant who discovered Château Sociando-Mallet while looking for a property for a client. Fascinated by the potential of the terroir, he decided to buy the estate, although it was in poor condition, with only five hectares of vines. With patience and dedication, Gautreau renovated the buildings, expanded the vineyard, and gradually transformed Château Sociando-Mallet into a quality benchmark among the unclassified crus of the Médoc. Today, the estate remains under the management of the Gautreau family, ensuring the continuity of its know-how and values.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Château Sociando-Mallet

The Château Sociando-Mallet vineyard now covers 85 hectares, with the vines covering Gundian gravel ridges, one of the most sought-after terroirs in the Médoc. This particular composition, combined with a clay-limestone subsoil, is ideal for the cultivation of the emblematic Bordeaux grape varieties. The proximity of the Gironde River regulates the temperatures, ensuring a mild and temperate climate throughout the year, allowing the cabernet sauvignon and merlot varieties to ripen slowly and under optimal conditions.

The estate's grape composition is 55% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon, and 5% cabernet franc, producing balanced and structured wines. The high planting density of 8,333 vines per hectare increases competition between the vines, encouraging the production of grapes rich in tannins and aromas. The vines, with an average age of 30 years, benefit from constant care and reasoned cultivation, with only the necessary treatments applied to preserve their health and the quality of each harvest. 

Each plot is meticulously hand-harvested, ensuring a careful selection of the bunches and optimal quality from the outset. This precision is reflected in the wines of Sociando-Mallet, which fully express the richness of their unique terroir.

Winemaking at Château Sociando-Mallet

At Château Sociando-Mallet, winemaking is an art that relies on tradition and innovation. The sorted grapes are directed to temperature-controlled stainless steel and concrete tanks for fermentation. This method allows the aromas to be preserved and fine tannins to be extracted, providing the wines with exceptional complexity and depth.

Each vineyard plot is vinified separately, ensuring that each cuvée reflects the unique identity of its terroir. Malolactic fermentation takes place in vats, which gives the wines a rounder texture and a pleasant suppleness on the palate. The wines are then aged in new French oak barrels, generally for a period of 18 months. This barrel-ageing method is essential for refining the tannins and adding subtle woody notes that accentuate the aromatic richness of the Sociando-Mallet wines.

The estate also stands out for its unique approach to yields. Unlike the common practice of green harvesting to control yields, Château Sociando-Mallet allows the vines to express themselves naturally, thus prioritising the authenticity of the vintage.

The Cuvées of Château Sociando-Mallet

Château Sociando-Mallet

The grand vin of Château Sociando-Mallet is renowned for its exceptional ageing potential and intense profile. Robust and structured, it displays a dark, almost inky colour, with a complex bouquet dominated by notes of black fruits, minerality, and finely integrated oak. In its youth, it can be firm, almost austere, but its ageing allows the wine to soften and develop a harmonious blend of flavours that delight the palate. This wine is ideal for Bordeaux enthusiasts seeking a long-lived wine, with vintages that improve for 30 years and more.

La Demoiselle de Sociando-Mallet

La Demoiselle de Sociando-Mallet, the second wine of the estate, is made from grapes from the younger vines and merlot-favourable plots. This variety represents about half of the blend, giving it a supple and fruity palate, characterised by natural lightness and elegance. Unlike the grand vin, this cuvée is largely aged in vats, in order to preserve the freshness and fruitiness imparted by the merlot. La Demoiselle is an accessible and pleasing wine, ideal for accompanying grilled meats, fish or shellfish, and can be enjoyed in its early years.

Cuvée Jean Gautreau

The Cuvée Jean Gautreau is a tribute to Jean Gautreau's vision and passion for the estate. Created for the first time in 1995, this cuvée is the result of a selection of the best barrels, chosen by blind tasting after one year of ageing. The Cuvée Jean Gautreau stands out for a richer cabernet sauvignon blend than the grand vin, giving it an even more solid structure and an extended ageing potential. This wine, initially intended for Jean Gautreau's personal consumption, has become a prized rarity for connoisseurs. The cuvée is bottled in special bottles to visually differentiate it from the rest of the production, and it reveals a unique and timeless expression of Sociando-Mallet.

Haut-Médoc, one of the prestigious appellations of the Bordeaux vineyard, is renowned for producing remarkable wines, particularly during its finest vintages. Among the most notable are emblematic years such as 1975, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1989 and 1990, which have left their mark on fine wine enthusiasts. Other exceptional vintages include 1995, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, each recognised for its balance and depth. More recently, the years 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 continue this tradition, with particularly elegant and promising wines. These vintages offer an exceptional range of flavours and longevity, reinforcing Bordeaux's reputation as a global reference in wine-making.

Château Sociando-Mallet is an iconic Médoc estate that embodies the alliance of authenticity and excellence. Its history, intimately linked to that of Jean Gautreau, its exceptional terroir, and its traditional winemaking methods make every bottle a treasure of the Bordeaux region. Whether you are a lover of young, fruity wines or great ageing wines, Sociando-Mallet invites you to discover its unique range, where the richness of the Haut-Médoc terroir is fully expressed. Buying a Château Sociando-Mallet wine is to enjoy a part of the history of the Médoc and the pleasure of a great wine, "neither classified, nor bourgeois... simply Sociando-Mallet".