Outsider
Looking In: Sociando-Mallet 1982-2015

BY NEAL MARTIN | MARCH 6, 2019

Bordeaux is
built around an immutable hierarchy set in stone in 1855. As the ink dried on
the classification, I suspect nobody believed it would still shape the region into
the 21st century and beyond – and arguably more so now than ever before.
Whether you agree with the classification or not, it inevitably creates winners
and losers. Properties with exceptional terroir
that underperformed at the time of assessment (the decade before 1855) pay the
price in perpetuity. There are mundane reasons for exclusion. A négociant once told me that had
Sociando-Mallet been located less north and, let’s say, closer to Calon-Ségur,
then doubtless it would have been classified, given its enviable gravel soils
and proximity to the Gironde. Unfortunately, Sociando-Mallet lay beyond the geographic
purview of those assigned to gather data, and over subsequent decades this
injustice left the estate reeling, to the point where it started crumbling into
oblivion. Thankfully, one man saw its potential and single-handedly drove the regeneration
that led to its current status as potentially the best non-classified growth on
the Left Bank. I had not visited for several years, so I arranged to reacquaint
myself with Sociando-Mallet and discover how vintages over the last four
decades have matured.

History

The history
of Sociando-Mallet can be traced back to March 17, 1633, the date of a document
referring to Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne, a propitious terre noble that belonged to a Basque nobleman named Sièvre Sociando.
The estate passed through the hands of several owners until around 1850, when
it was sold to a naval captain named Mallet. Hitherto the wine from this terre noble had been known as Lamothe, but
Mallet renamed it Sociando and appended his family name. In the early 1870s, as
recorded by the 1874 edition of Féret, Mallet’s widow sold the property to the
Alaret family, who presided over the increasingly esteemed wine. The 1898
edition of Féret places it second behind Château Verdignan on their list of
best Cru Bourgeois in Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne.
At that time, the proprietor was Léon Simon, who had bought the estate in 1878.
Production was still comparatively small, at 45 tonneaux per annum. During the 20th century, the estate had a
succession of owners that included the négociant
Delor; Louis Roulet, in the 1940s and 1950s; and a former mayor of
Saint-Seurin.

The lack of continuity
in ownership hindered long-term investment, and Sociando-Mallet began treading
water. Quality went off the boil, and the château building began to fall into
disrepair. The wines’ reputation was nothing like its halcyon days at the end
of the 19th century, even though it was included in the inaugural Cru Bourgeois
classification of 1932. The estate finally found itself under the
proprietorship of the Téreygéol family. I have read that François Téreygéol bought
the property, although I believe it would have been his father Emile. But that is
all by the by, because the Téreygéols decided to focus on their other property,
Pontoise-Cabarrus, and put Sociando-Mallet on the market. Both were in dire
need of investment and the family could not finance both. In 1969 a buyer was
found. His name was Jean Gautreau.

Gautreau,
born in 1927, had been employed as a salesman for the négociant arm of the Miailhe family and was escorting a Belgian
client around the northern Médoc when he chanced upon Sociando-Mallet.
According to Clive Coates, writing in his Grand
Vin tome, Gautreau bought the estate for 250,000 Francs because he admired
the vista across the yawning Gironde estuary. Some say he initially saw it as a
mere holiday home, and only after encouragement from Jean-Paul Gardère at
Latour and Jean-Michel Cazes at Lynch-Bages did he realize its potential as
something more. At that time he had no practical experience of winemaking. The
vineyard had withered to just five hectares and the buildings were in ruinous
condition, without a cellar to speak of. However, as Gardère and Cazes
explained to its new owner, the estate occupied a propitious gravel croupe, basically an extension of Montrose
to the south. So Gautreau spent years restoring Sociando-Mallet with the
ultimate aim of creating a vin de garde.
By 1982 he had reconstituted the vineyard and brought it up to 30 hectares,
installed temperature-controlled stainless steel and concrete vats, and made
the château inhabitable. Part of the reason he was able to finance the
reconstruction of Sociando-Mallet was that he continued to run his own
independent merchant, through which he distributed the wine. Gautreau
constructed a large balcony overlooking the vineyard and the estuary over to
Blaye and beyond, to admire the view that had sparked his interest.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1551889063883-sociando+jean+gautreau++copy.jpg"> 

Jean Gautreau as seen when I visited the
property in 2006.

I used to
meet Jean Gautreau during en primeur
visits, though I have not seen him for a few years now. He always welcomed me
with open arms, often in sunglasses for some reason, happy that at least one
writer had bothered to visit a château disadvantaged by its location far from
itineraries of Grand Cru Classé. His pride in Sociando-Mallet was tangible and infectious.
One could misinterpret his passion for arrogance, given that Sociando-Mallet was
unclassified. Hubristically in some eyes, he refused to submit his wine for the
Cru Bourgeois reclassification of 2003, when it surely would have become the
tenth Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel, and instantly torpedoed some of the
classification’s credibility. This can be excused because of Gautreau’s
unstinting dedication to what was an unfashionable location; because he turned
a run-down estate into one of the best in the northern Médoc; and not least
because of the quality of the wines. Now in his 90s, Gautreau lives in the town
of birth of Lesparre, enjoying a well-deserved retirement. It was a pleasure to
meet his daughter Sophie Gautreau, who currently runs the estate.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1551888764240-sociando+mallet+sophie+.jpg">Sophie Gautreau, daughter of Jean Gautreau, has
taken the reins from her father.

The Vineyard

Considering
that the vines once occupied just five hectares, it is impressive that there
are now 77 hectares in production. The current vineyard comprises 55% Cabernet
Sauvignon, 40% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, though in the past there was up to
5% Petit Verdot. The main plot is around the château, and there is a second
28-hectare parcel toward the village of St-Seurin-de-Cadourne, used for the second
wine. The vines average 40 years of age and are pruned double Guyot and planted
at around 8,333 vines per hectare. There is no de-leafing or green harvest as
at many other properties; Gautreau vehemently disapproved of those practices
and preferred to sort the bunches in the cellar, notwithstanding that their
exposed vineyard needs protection by the canopy from the wind and sun. Ergo,
the yields at Sociando-Mallet tend to be higher than those of its peers, often
around 50hl/ha. It can be argued that this modus
operandi imparts a greenness that can affect the wine in its youth. I will
broach that later.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1551888795989-sociando_mallet_vineyard_shot.jpg">Looking over the main vineyard at Sociando-Mallet
from the balcony, the banks of the estuary around 800 meters away. You might be
able to make out the eyesore that is the nuclear power station on the opposite
bank.

During the
harvest, head winemaker Pascale Thiel and Sophie Gautreau enter the vineyard to
choose which plots to pick, approached parcel by parcel using two teams of
around 140 vendangeurs. “We spend all
afternoon in the vineyard choosing the plot. We use two sorting tables before
de-stemming, and then a vibrating sorting table,” Sophie Gautreau informed me
as we chatted on the balcony. Harvest had begun, and in the distance, pickers
worked through the vines. “We ferment the wine in cement and stainless steel
vats (usually with a long cuvaison of
between 20 and 35 days), maturing for 12 months in barrel before racking.” A
high percentage of new oak is used here, at least 80% but often closer to 100%.
Just over 30,000 cases are produced of the Grand Vin plus a second label,
previously called Latigue de Brochon but now simply Les Demoiselles de
Sociando-Mallet, that sees a modest 25% new oak.

I also undertook
a complete vertical of the elusive Cuvée Jean Gautreau from the debut 1995
vintage. The first I heard about this cuvée was about a decade ago when I was invited
to a vertical tasting in London. It has remained an insiders’ secret, perchance
because it was intended as a one-off for private use. In fact, it has been
produced every year since, and a few cases dribble out as late releases. The Cuvée
Jean Gautreau is a specific barrel selection made in the winery, where some 80
barrels, matured in 100% new oak, are whittled down to just three of the best
barrels, or approximately 900 bottles. Sophie Gautreau told me that initially
the cooperage was only Seguin Moreau, although since 2000 they have used a
mixture.

The Wines

One of my
regrets is not being able to attend a complete vertical tasting of
Sociando-Mallet a few years ago to celebrate 40 years since Jean Gautreau’s
acquisition of the estate. I was eager to make amends and tasted most major vintages
from 1982. In addition, I had the opportunity to taste a complete vertical of
the Cuvée Jean Gautreau from the debut 1995 to the present.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1551888850491-sociando+mallet+line+up.jpg"> 

This tasting
proved that Sociando-Mallet has a strong case that it is a classed growth in
all but name. One of its disadvantages is that it unequivocally requires bottle
age – let’s give a ballpark figure of 10 years in a good vintage. It is true
that there can be green traits in its youth, but these tend to ebb away as the
wine matures, perhaps similar to the way some whole-bunch Pinot Noirs subsume
stemminess that can transmute into attractive secondary characteristics. Sociando-Mallet
vintages from the 1980s attest to a wine with inbuilt longevity that must
surely derive from its gravel soils. The oldest vintage, the 1982 Sociando-Mallet, is still going
strong and indeed, a few months earlier it had easily held its own among far
more expensive Grand Cru Classé at a 1982 horizontal. The 1983 Sociando-Mallet has not fared as well; however, the 1985 and 1986 Sociando-Mallet continue to give drinking pleasure and reflect
the character of those vintages, the former fleshy and polished, the latter
fresh, ferrous and structured. I often find that Sociando-Mallet excels in a warm
growing season, and the 1990
Sociando-Mallet proves that to be the case. It’s a gorgeous wine that is
spicier than previous vintages, revealing a hint of curry leaf on the finish, and
clearly à point.

In the mid-1990s
we see a slight change as the wine is entirely raised in new oak. I am not completely
sold on this approach. The aromatics on the 1996 Sociando-Mallet are rather dictated by the cooperage, unlike
the slightly superior 1995. In a less
ripe vintage such as in 1998, I find
the new oak disproportionate to fruit that cannot quite give it the necessary
support, perhaps one key difference between Sociando-Mallet and the First
Growths that share similar terroir. The 2000
Sociando-Mallet was not shown at the vertical and has always been a
controversial wine. I remember being impressed during en primeur, and yet subsequent encounters have revealed a nagging
greenness that leaves a bitter/vegetal note on the finish. I dug out another
bottle from my cellar, but it too was disappointing compared to other vintages.
Perhaps this is one year when some green harvesting or de-leafing would have
benefited the wine. Far superior is the 2001
Sociando-Mallet, which is more harmonious and fresher, showing no trace of
underripeness. The 2003 vintage
favored the northern Médoc and especially Saint-Estèphe, and while you can
shell out for the touted Montrose and Cos d’Estournel, the best value for money
might be the outstanding Sociando-Mallet. In this season, Jean Gautreau’s eschewing
of effeuillage was advantageous; others
cut back canopies and left exposed bunches to be grilled by the merciless heat
that summer. Even better, perhaps, is the benchmark 2005 Sociando-Mallet, where everything comes together, sporting
fine-boned tannins that are not always associated with this cru. This is the
first vintage where I feel more bottle age will not go amiss. I must admit to
finding the 2007 and 2008 Sociando-Mallet a little disappointing
and too herbaceous for my liking. This is put into sharp relief by the
outstanding 2010 Sociando-Mallet, destined
to be one of the most structured and longest-lasting of all vintages produced
to date. Readers can find more recent vintages already entered on the Vinous
database from previous tastings.

Not on the
database, at least until now, are notes for the Cuvée Jean Gautreau. Because of
the way the barrels are selected, the blend can differ greatly. Readers will
find details of all the assemblages
within the tasting notes, but to give one example, the 1997 comprises 60%
Cabernet Sauvignon while the 1998 includes 90%. That said, the wine is an expression
of Gautreau’s predilection instead of an articulation of a specific plot of
land; therefore, despite varying blends, there is a sense of stylistic consistency.
Though rarely seen, prices are little different from Sociando-Mallet itself,
partly because few people are aware of the Cuvée Jean Gautreau’s existence and
partly because it is not implicitly superior. There are some excellent vintages,
such as the 2001, 2009 and 2010 Cuvée Jean Gautreau, but they are as much a reflection of those
great growing seasons as anything else. Stylistically, they would appeal to
palates that prefer a modern style of Left Bank, richer and glossier than the
regular Sociando-Mallet. At its best, the Cuvée Jean Gautreau can certainly
mature over 15 to 20 years; in other vintages, especially those that experience
weaker growing seasons, it seems burdened by the new oak and the results are
less interesting.

Final Thoughts

We often
talk about proprietors who have followed their own path. Few in Bordeaux
personify this more than Jean Gautreau. Sociando-Mallet struck out on its own
from the moment Gautreau acquired the property and commenced rebuilding it. Now
it seems to occupy a no-man’s land. Received wisdom is that it ranks above Cru
Bourgeois, a view shared by me and reflected in its higher market prices, yet
it is destined never to be part of the “club of 1855.” It is an outsider
looking in. There is no question that it occupies great terroir, but Sociando-Mallet has always had obstacles in its way:
its distance from the city of Bordeaux; its high turnover of owners in the 20th
century and concomitant decay; its omission from the 1855 classification and
(voluntarily) as a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel in 2003. Furthermore, it has
never been the most consistent of wines. Vintages like 2000 reinforce a sense
of unpredictability, compounded by youthful greenness, which was anathema at a time
when the vogue was for low yields and ripeness. Sociando-Mallet would have
become an anachronism had the wines not cut the mustard.

Ultimately,
the estate’s doggedness under Gautreau is its strength. Even without Jean
Gautreau at the helm, Sociando-Mallet will always be blessed by the gravel croupe that elevates its wine above that
of its peers, putting it neck and neck with Grand Cru Classé. One can argue that
its site is even more advantageous thanks to the regulating affects of the
Gironde estuary, which is wider here and thus more influential than farther
south in Saint-Julien or Margaux. At least now there are one or two others in
the area with the same vision and conviction, notably Jean Guyon at Haut-Condissas
and Rollan de By farther north (see <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/aiming-high-haut-condissas-1997-2015-aug-2018">Aiming
High: Haut-Condissas 1997–2015</a> for last year’s article on Vinous). For the
imminent future, I see Sociando-Mallet continuing just as it has done over the
last few years, punching above its weight, official status be damned.<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/wines?sort%5Bdirection%5D=desc&amp;sort%5Bname%5D=vintage&amp;wf_dirty=false&amp;wf_export_fields=&amp;wf_export_format=&amp;wf_id=&amp;wf_match=all&amp;wf_model=Wine&amp;wf_name=&amp;wf_order=vintage&amp;wf_order_type=desc&amp;wf_page=1&amp;wf_per_page=25&amp;wf_submitted=true&amp;wf_type=WillFilter%3A%3AFilter&amp;wine_filter%5Barticle_id%5D=2124&amp;wine_filter%5Bproducer_id%5D=25385">See the Wines from Youngest to Oldest</a>You Might Also Enjoy <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/looking-the-part-pichon-baron-1953-2015-jan-2019">Looking The Part: Pichon-Baron 1953 – 2015</a>, Neal Martin, January 2019<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/the-dbs-bordeaux-2016-in-bottle-jan-2019">The DBs: Bordeaux 2016 In Bottle</a>,&nbsp;Neal Martin, January 2019<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/long-distance-runner-brane-cantenac-1924-2015-jan-2019">Long Distance Runner: Brane-Cantenac 1924-2015</a>,&nbsp;Neal Martin, January 2019<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/enigma-variations-lafleur-1955-2015-nov-2018">Enigma Variations: Lafleur 1955-2015</a>, Neal Martin, November 2018

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