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Sociando Mallet Vertical
Chestertown Maryland
Tasted October 9, 2010 by pvdjr with 911 views
Introduction
This past weekend I conducted a Vertical tasting of several vintages of Sociando Mallet. Wines included were from 1982, 1985, 1990, 1996, 2000, 2002, and 2005
Our vertical was conducted in Chestertown Maryland on October 09, 2010
We opened all the wines at about 4:00 pm in anticipation of an afternoon of tasting as the wines evolved and a nice family dinner at about 8:00PM. A glass of each wine was poured and tasted over the course of the afternoon. And by dinner, everyone had honed in on their favorite to carry them through the meal.
Flight 1 (7 notes)
Red
1982 Château Sociando-Mallet
90 points
On initial opening, the 1982 had a distinct funk that was initially off-putting. After 30 mins in the glass, the funk blew off and the wine opened up into a fine mature ’82 that was enjoyable and fully integrated. The cork was soaked ¾ though but not compromised and the fill was full. After several hours, the ;82 had evolved into a smooth delicious Bordeaux. This was one of the favored wines of the Sociando vertical
Red
1985 Château Sociando-Mallet
89 points
On opening, the 1985 was bright and pleasurable. The finish was shorter than the 1982, but the bottle was not over the hill. The ’85 did not evolve much over the afternoon, but did maintain its flavor and structure throughout. While it lacked the depth of the ’82, it was still a favorite amongst many of the tasters
Red
1990 Château Sociando-Mallet
flawed
I had high hopes for the 1990, thinking that it might surpass the ’82. I was however disappointed as the wine never delivered. While there was no noticeable funk, or clear indication that the bottle was bad, it clearly was not “right” this led us to believe that the ’90 was off. Fortunately I have one more, which I will pay close attention to when I open it in the future
Red
1996 Château Sociando-Mallet
91 points
the 1996 was another of the fan favorites. While not fully mature like the 1982, the ’96 was tasting very well now, and appears to be solid and will be good for years to come. We were fortunate enough to have 2 bottles of the ’96, so everyone was able to enjoy this with dinner.
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Comment
Red
2000 Château Sociando-Mallet
91 points
the 2000 was the first bottle to be finished in the tasting. While it is still too young, it seemed to open up nicely and maintain its character throughout the afternoon. As we thought it had stopped evolving, we decided it would be nice to enjoy this one while the other bottles continued to develop.
Red
2002 Château Sociando-Mallet
88 points
The 2002 by most peoples estimation was entirely closed down. It evolved little over the afternoon and was a little green on the palate. I think it will improve over time, but it needs ages to mature.
Red
2005 Château Sociando-Mallet
89 points
the 2005 was only slightly better than the 2002 if for no other reason than it is way too young While it has much more potential on the upside over time, it was completely closed down in comparison to the other older wines we tasted.
Closing
this was one of the more enjoyable wine tastings I have conducted. it was fun and relaxed, and everyone tasted some nice wines.