Château Sociando Mallet Haut-Médoc 1996

I’ve tasted this vintage of Sociando a few times recently, and strongly recommend. Sums up the pull of mature Left Bank with its crayon, cigar, blackberry, soft cassis puree, touch of mint leaf, cedar, graphite, and a cushion of air that makes everything so mouthwatering and delicate on the finish, drawing you back in, looking for another sip. Very good quality, fine tannins that are softened into the structure but still with character, this is one of the values of the vintage. Harvest September 29 to October 11, 90ha in production at this point, meaning owner Jean Gautreau had done some serious purchasing over the previous year. 12 months in barrel and then a further 6 months in vats, so 18 months in total. 100% new oak for ageing.