Chateau Sociando Mallet 2011 (1x75cl)

Sociando-Mallet sits on gravel overlooking the Gironde, next to Saint-Estèphe. It has no classification at all — the estate declined to enter the Cru Bourgeois system — and is regularly rated alongside classified growths anyway.

The style. Cabernet-led, firm and savoury. This is Bordeaux for people who want structure rather than fruit, and it ages far longer than its price suggests.

Why 2011. A mid-weight vintage with good acidity. On an estate this firm, that means a wine that is drinking well now rather than needing another decade — which is not always true of Sociando-Mallet.

When to drink it. Now, decanted an hour. Steak, lamb, anything off a grill.

How it compares. 2014 is fresher and a touch more classical; 2011 is rounder.

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