Chateau Sociando-Mallet 2018

Sociando-Mallet commands a solid reputation in today’s wine market. It sits - voluntarily - outside of Bordeaux’s classification system, choosing instead to call itself simply, Haut-Médoc. Its owner - Jean Gautreau, opted not to include it in the Médoc classifications, but this has done nothing to deter its loyal following. When he purchased the estate in 1969 it was in a sad state but he recognised the quality of its land and spent the next half century increasing the size of its holdings from 8 hectares to 110 hectares, 80 of which are now planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, The gravel soils are reminiscent of those found at Pichon-Lalande or Léoville-Las-Cases and Sociando-Mallet and is capable of creating equally high quality reds. The estate makes two wines, the Grand Vin and a second wine, La Demoiselle de Sociando-Mallet.