3/11/2024 - classicalspin Likes this wine:

Going with 91 on this. Drunk over three days. Out of the bottle dense, closed tight as a fist, but over the course of an hour or so began to reveal itself. Corked and left overnight, 60 degrees. Second day it was considerably expanded. Third day, even more expanded with the dark berry fruit beginning to show through the tannins underneath that may take some years to fully resolve. I had one other Haut Medoc, an '09, at the 10 year mark was brooding, dark and tight. Then, seemingly overnight, the next year it blossomed out and was supple and somewhat refined. The same thing might happen with this wine. I'll wait until 2016 to see what happens next -- but only three bottles left.

1/22/2024 - jlhkiss Likes this wine:

Opened and did not need to decant. Was accessible within 20-min. Still fresh, vibrant, and juicy, even for the hot vintage. Perfumed nose of potpourri, cloves, lavender, and forest floor. The palate is medium, square, and crunchy, bringing an earthy/rustic core of strawberry-rhubarb mixed with more cloves, wood smoke, and some high-toned cranberry notes. Drink 2024-2028. Technical score: 91. Enjoyment score: 93.

12/30/2023 - kosdogger Likes this wine:

Kind of expected more from this wine. It’s sort of hollow and feels incomplete relative to other vintages. It lacks fruit and finishes dry and short. Curious if age will lead to improvement. Will sit on other bottles for a few years to assess.

11/24/2023 - Willi Vinotti wrote:

Had this in a vertical of Sociando as the youngest wine of the series. It is completely different in style compared the older representatives of the estate. Very apparently having a higher Merlot component, it is mellower than its predecessors, rounder and a higher impact of wood, nice notes of cherry and blueberries. It is though quite away from the cloves, forest floor, allspice and cranberries of the older vintages.

Also, where you can see clearly how the older wines were ageing, i would not take a bet on the evolution potential of he 2020. It seems more seductive than the early 2000s, but is not likely to end up in the same space at maturity, so about 20 years. So, ultimately not a buy if you like the classic no frills elegant aged Sociandos.

10/10/2023 - davidrmoran Likes this wine:

perfection of the type --- dry, austere, not fruitless, just modest and restrained, almost severe (stony, sour, while still complicated)

I love this kind of classic old-school bordeaux, medoclike, frankly, but care in pairing is entailed (roast meats chiefly, etc.)

4/25/2022 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

This year the alcohol level kicks it old school. More merlot on the nose. And the franchies are kinda making a thing about it. With some tart and tang. One sip call for another one says the gorgeous tasting assistant. It's young cabernwt vines but not nessiccariarly young merlot.

8/6/2023 - chmorc Likes this wine:

Popped and poured, dark garnet almost ink coloured in the glass.

On the nose: violets, dark fruits, extremely inviting aromas. Some vanilla comes through, not sure if oak was involved in the aging.

On the palate: I drink a lot of Pinot and Gamay, the full bodied texture is fantastic, peppers, a hint of black olives, plums, blackberries. The finish is medium long with a fine tannins.

Loved this, interesting to see how it ages!

5/9/2023 - platpeeps Does not like this wine:

Smooth and polished at first with notes of iron and tar, followed quickly by strong overpowering Bretty characters. With the fruit fading fast, the contents of the glass started to crack up revealing a wine now well past its best. Sad as I had really been looking forward to this. CHP 82 pts

3/25/2023 - racerchris wrote:

This bottle presented unintegrated oak and unintegrated alcohol.

2/20/2023 - chmorc Likes this wine:

Pours a dark ruby, this is not a light Gamay. Let it sit in the glass for 2 hours.

On the nose: a potpourri of red fruits, strawberries, sour cherries, and an intense clove note comes through. There's an earthiness that comes through on the nose too

On the palate: crunching acidity, follows the nose with the raspberries and sour cherries, with a plum note following through. Theres a subtle vegetal note, the spices come through with a really nice grip. 3-5 years left on this wine!

2/20/2023 - Norn Iron wrote:

This would have been a splurge wine for me before my inheritance. It seemed worth the price (actually it was a present). Dark and glossy, the nose was cedar and cassis. It was smooth and not very tannic but seemed young. A very nice present. Decanted for two hours.

11/13/2022 - Mscrank wrote:

I expected more from this wine. OK, it’s relatively young, but after nearly three hours it never really opens up. Aromas of berries with some spices are overwhelmed by the alcohol; medium body is OK but boring; tannins are fine, but there is little complexity and you get the impression that the pieces don’t blend together. Highly overrated by pro critics. I have a case of 2018, which I hope is better.

10/23/2022 - Mandiyu Does not like this wine:

Second bottle that is corked

2/14/2022 - j.a.price.trucking wrote:

No notes but remember a solid Beaujolais

11/2/2021 - SophieR Does not like this wine:

Parker's Wine Advocate awarded this beverage a 99. I'm tempted to give it a 79, but I'm too nice a person to skewer a passel of positive scores with one hardhearted one. My bottle was bad, very bad, in a way I haven't previously experienced, certainly not with a 2010 CDP. I popped the cork and out came, well, stink. Professional notes mention aromas of licorice, anise, leather. Imagine all those products rotting away and you've nailed the bouquet. I jammed a cork in the bottle, pulled it about 48 hours later. The horrid bouquet had dissipated, and what was left was drinkable, but barely so: Upon that do I base my score.
An addendum: I have been chastised, perhaps rightly so, for not declaring this bottle defective and being done with it. A reasonable point, but the defect was so unusual, so unlike any other foulness I've experienced in wine, that I thought describing it might be of scientific interest.

8/16/2022 - honest bob wrote:

From 75cl, perfect cork. Opened but not decanted 1 hour. Stewed plum scent, the unusually hefty (for a CC) 14,5% alc. pokes out of the glass in a threatening kind of way. Smooth, mid-bodied entry, with more overripe, stewed plummy fruit but hardly any tannins (yet...). Pleasant enough, but the mid-palate dries up and is just hot (alcohol) and inexpressively tannic. Mouth-puckering, coarse tannins set in on the finish, enhanced by alcoholic burn, iron filings, raw leather and more stewed fruit.
So what's going on here? I got panned for posting a critical review of this wine back on 09.03.2021, so I recognise that some people love this style. Lionshield, thanks for your CT TN and personal roasting dated 13.03.2021! I put off opening my last bottle until I felt fully fit, sober and ready to enjoy. But no, this pretentious, muscled-up, sledgehammer has niente to do with the youthful cherry joys of good ol' plain Chianti Classico (its designation); none of the herbal depth, concentration and purity of fruit, not to mention the supple tannic grip I'd expect from CC Riserva; and nothing at all to do with elite super-Chianti with Brunello pretentions (100€ Castello di Ama, anyone?) Hope you enjoy yours more than I did mine... 87P

6/10/2019 - Dave Dewar wrote:

First of two bottles. Very long cork (a full 2") in perfect condition. Decanted 90 minutes. Dark ruby with some sediment left in the bottle. Aromas and flavours of toast, herbs, licorice, caramel, dried red fruits, cassis. M body, m-h acidity, XD, m tannin. Medium-long finish of red apple. More plum on the second day. Pleasant but nothing special. Will hold onto my second bottle until 2024.

10/21/2019 - gtilley wrote:

I think the thing about this wine is that it needs a really long decant. Even hours after opening you can be thinking "gosh this is a bit thin isn't it?" But then just as you're about to drain the bottle you suddenly get this rich plum character and the scent of old library books and it's all very delightful. Hard really to know what to do about it!

9/17/2019 - IamNotDrinkingAny#@!%Merlot wrote:

A darn good value. Elegant and well structured.

4/9/2019 - Bro-rolo Likes this wine:

Bro-Rolo's 2019 Masters Bro-down (ft. Tiger Woods & Ja Rule); 4/8/2019-4/14/2019 (Augusta, GA): so this is a single vineyard bro-nello...a 2010...single vineyard...bro-nello...like Rory McIlroy...winning age...winning swing...winning putter...then why do I keep putting my dam money on Rory every year when he keeps BREAKING my HEART??!! this one should have been better...just like my odds on betting on Rory again UGHHH

3/31/2019 - acheng wrote:

Corked!

12/6/2018 - Mario17 wrote:

Fermé à double tour, pas intéressant à ce stade.

11/12/2018 - sunnylea57 Likes this wine:

Clean and lemony. Enjoyable but painfully young.

4/1/2018 - Soteralzowine Likes this wine:

Excellent PQR!

4/24/2016 - henrygjeffreys Likes this wine:

Dark malty nose
Chewy acidity, intense, long and nutty
Serious stuff, might need a bit of cheese

7/26/2018 - Holadi wrote:

Good to drink to lighten the mood after bikes have been stolen.
Full bodied, melow tannins, liquorice and earth flavors. Fantastic with ripe tomatoes and basil salad and a strong meat.

7/5/2018 - maxima wrote:

Bouchonnée!

3/15/2018 - Hazeo Likes this wine:

Compared with the Jean Gautreau bottling of the same vintage, the regular Sociando-Mallet had a similar Medoc flavour profile but a lot less intense and thinner. Definitely a step down and given the relatively small price difference I'd spring for the former.

5/10/2018 - E1855 wrote:

As announced last night, I opened a second bottle tonight and no worries, not corked this time. Very young wine, very tannic, rather high alcohol level (14.5) for a Bordeaux but drinkable now. Will not open any before 5-7 years though, as its future looks great and I am drinking 2010 wines now.

5/8/2018 - michigan dogs Likes this wine:

short decant did not help as wine was pretty closed. Not getting alot other than still tannic, 88 now, hopefully my other bottles will improve with time. I would hold off drinking for a couple years.

3/12/2018 - ve23 Likes this wine:

Radikon vs Gravner on March 12, 2018 (Tartaria Moscow): 94/100. WOTN

Thin and nuanced wine, a finer play than Oslavje, and my winner of the night.

Aromas are subtle, offering honeysuckle, beehive and dried stone fruits, a fine and not too fast-forward bouquet that finishes with a distinctive orange peel marmalade.

Acidity is the backbone of it beauty, keeping it firm and fresh, supporting the tannin - but it is balanced, neat, very silky and not too opulent or rich. Just what it should be.

Radikon va Gravner at Tartaria Moscow, 12 March 2018

2/16/2018 - Magnum PI Likes this wine:

Brookie and I had this bottle last night at Vincenzo's. Undecanted, not much air time. I had my usual vegetarian lasagna and Brookie had pasta with pesto. I typically have the usual $15 bottle of Chianti with Italian, and have not had Chianti in this price range so far as I can remember, so take that into consideration when relying on my score.

I thought this was really very good, and would recommend an hour decant if you are planning to drink your bottle within the next couple of years. I don't think there needs to be a rush to drink this bottle, and would probably wait another couple of years to try my next one. The wine did open with time, but slowly, due to drinking it straight from the bottle.

Dark fruit, core of dark cherry, leather, a little bit of mint. Tannins well integrated, nice finish, elegant. In this particular vintage no single vineyard Chiantis were produced, so all the best fruit went into this bottle. I note that the pros generally scored this bottle a bit lower than I did, which is likely because they have had a lot more high end Chianti than I have, so bear that in mind. Still, I thought this was well above average and could possibly improve. Maybe not, but it did need air.

Sangiovese, merlot, malvasia nera. Very good balance, good acid, rich, slowly reveals complexity. I thought this bottle was a great value. Probably difficult to find similar quality for similar price in that other wine producing country. I recommend picking up a case if you can find it and drinking it over the next 7-8 years.

Brookie wasn't as excited about the wine as I was but said "it was good". In all fairness to Brookie, she didn't get a chance to wash her hair before we went out and she had ceiling tile flakes intermingled with her locks, making it difficult to focus.

4/29/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote:

Using 52% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc in the blend, there is a sapidity of fruit, lift and focus, along with concentration and length that makes it hard to believe this is a second wine. The finish gifts you with luscious fruits for all your sensory receptors to enjoy.

12/28/2017 - Motz wrote:

Tasted over three days. Rock solid, if somewhat reticent and underwhelming, on the first day, particularly given the great expectations for this vintage. Returned to an open and powerfully seductive wine on the second day. Featuring effusive Grenache character, including coco powder texture and 'sweet' tannins, gracefully conveyed by a veritable (wine) sea of 'sweet' umami. Indeed, my umami sensors rated off the charts! Surprisingly open, yet powerfully structured. It may shut down for several years but too soon to tell. More of the same on the third day; I stretched the last ounce to three sips. Awe-inspiring! As it sits now, the wine put my mind to the open style of 2009 vintage, though with more finesse.

P.S. I find Greedy's description of this wine: "average at best," as befuddling as his comparison of the traditionally styled Vieux Donjon to the modernly styled Beaucastel (in the comments of the same note).

11/23/2017 - grover91 Does not like this wine:

One dusty note throughout. No discernible fruit. Sour tannins on the finish. Maybe there was an issue with this bottle, since my experience was so off of the other reviews.

10/21/2017 - KVM wrote:

oxidized. drinkable if very thirsty or desperate. purchased from Woodland Hills Wines.

3/21/2015 - Timbalimba wrote:

Deep gold colour. Grows by the minute in the glass, starts off with two-stroke petrol, ripe red and green apple, then strawberry, yellow flowers, minerals. Settled on the palate, good fruit, minerals, citrus acidity, the residual sugar has been completely integrated, excellent balance. Finishes long, complex, and the end note is very austere, but that makes the entire proposition more interesting. On song now, will survive further cellaring. Deceiving at only 12,5 abv, this packs a powerful punch, carefully masked, everything beautifully balanced.

5/16/2017 - Double-A Likes this wine:

Bright, salmon pink colour. Cherry, apple, floral, and earth nose. Dry and wonderfully elegant and balanced palate. Long spiced mineral finish.
4/5

1/15/2017 - graemeg wrote:

Hunter Valley - 4 Cellar Doors (Hunter Valley): {screwcap, 10.5%, A$80} As much a victim of the vintage as the Belford it seems. Aromas of tobacco and dirt. Doesn’t smell botrytised, but it has a fungal character to it. It lacks freshness and tastes more of browning straw. It’s light/medium-bodied, with just a medium-length finish. OK wine, weak for a Vat 1, don’t think I’d cellar this much longer.

4/30/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote:

The debut vintage for this new wine from Silvio Denz is made from a blend of 89% Semillon and 11% Sauvignon Blanc. The wine is exactly what you are looking for, provided you're seeking a fresh, crisp white Bordeaux wine packed with honeysuckle, lemons, green apple and slightly candied pomelo. Similar to the bottle with the Lalique insert used for their Sauternes, this makes a stunning presentation the table. – 91 Pts

3/6/2017 - RussK wrote:

Russk. Suckling great wines of Italy tasting at the Moore building. Over mature tasting. True for both wines sampled

5/26/2017 - Hermosabritdad Likes this wine:

Really in its sweet spot window. Price quality ratio is very impressive. Of course it's from a great vintage that can deliver even a second level wine like this with great aging ability - not your normal $25 bottle capability. The lesson for me is when there is a good CNDP vintage stock up on the Beaucastel Coudoulet and then hold on to it for a few year and hey presto: a nice mature High level Rhone at an everyday price.

1/2/2017 - BigTex22 wrote:

When I arrived home from the airport last night, much to my horror, I saw an empty bottle of this sitting on my desk. My wife had a girlfriend over while I was out of town, and they decided to open a cab while watching the kids play outside. She left the empty bottle on my desk because she knows I like to track inventory in Cellar Tracker. She commented that it was "too young" but "pretty good" and her friend "really liked it". There may have been some chips and salsa they paired this with - not sure. I later explained to my wife the cost of this bottle and read her the many glorious critic reviews that all stated to wait ten years or more before opening. Needless to say, I will be locking my wine cabinet going forward. Excellent wine, but suggest holding...under lock and key.

3/21/2015 - Rezy13 Likes this wine:

Summa15 Day 1 (Magré (Margreid), Alto Adige, Italy): No petrol, very dusty mineral, yellow grapefruit, plain popcorn, floral, some green, mango; wine runs right down the middle of the palate with absolute focus; interesting, complex, and extremely serious; this really stood out.

9/17/2016 - RussK wrote:

Russk. Stacole tasting at the Moore building. Dirty cherry. I would have rated higher, but for the dirt, which I generally like. Approximately $54 wholesale

3/27/2016 - Themarts wrote:

Very pleasant Cabernet, drank with roast lamb leg and ratatouille

7/26/2014 - AWBryce Likes this wine:

Superb, but so young! Complex floral nose with some citrus and spices. Potent and big. Great balance, expecially considering its ABV... Tanninc, dark fruits and spices on the palate. Hold for 5+

7/30/2013 - Zhyve Belarus wrote:

The wine is now ready to drink. Great right out of the bottle. Strong aroma of garrigue, replayed beautifully on the palate. Ripe, with sweet tannins, very typical Bandol - with garrigue and aniseed and great structure to hold it all together. I would say there's no need to wait much longer with this beauty.

5/18/2013 - vijayk416 wrote:

Quite a bit of stink upon opening which quickly blew off to reveal lush dark fruit and tobacco. Tannins are very soft. Prime drinking.

11/29/2012 - _Xenon Likes this wine:

Elegant, relative reserved nose. Round, fruity, harmonious taste. Nice wine. Would I drink it again? Yes. Would I pay 33 € for another 0,375l bottle? Probably not. There's so much else out on the market.