WTN: Sociando Mallet 2009

Lockdown Wine #78. With yesterday's leftover roast beef and saffron risotto. Popped and poured. Very dark, inky and opaque purple. Pretty soft tannins. Quite a bit of acidity. Not much else going on. Drank half the bottle over the course of an hour but no change at all. Extremely tight. Not sure what to make of this. Probably needs another 10 years in the bottle or a decant of 12 hours or more. Put half the bottle into a 375 ml screwcap. Let's see if the pouring does something to it, but I'm not optimistic.

Sociando-Mallet is one of my favourite Médoc châteaux and I still have a few bottles of 96, 01 and 02, the first of which has been drinking superbly for a few years. However, with one exception (2012) I don't think I have ever broached a S-M before its 15th birthday, so I'm not surprised that an "important" year like 2009 is still behaving ungraciously.

There are reports that S-M is trying to soften its wines in their youth by increasing the proportion of Merlot in the blend of its Grand Vin. The RVF's 2021 annual guide has downgraded the estate in consequence.

Like you, I think most, if not all Sociandos I've had were at least 15 years old. I've had pretty good experiences with 2009 Bordeaux which seem to be drinking quite nicely rather early which is why I tried this SM. Wrong call, but I've got a couple more bottles so it's not too bad.

[David M. Bueker]

Sociando without the hard, green streak is not Sociando.