2016 Chateau Sociando-Mallet Haut-Medoc 375ml

2016 Chateau Sociando-Mallet Haut-Medoc 375ml

2016 Chateau Sociando-Mallet Haut-Medoc 375ml The palate is medium-bodied with juicy ripe tannin that almost disguise the firm structure underneath. I admire the completeness of this Sociando-Mallet, the neatly embroidered new oak and the freshness on the finish. The 2015 Sociando-Mallet did not fire on all cylinders last year, but this 2016 is totally convincing. It comes highly recommended as one of the best wines produced at this estate in the northern Médoc.

Bordeaux Médoc

Médoc wines tend to be ruby in color, balanced and well-rounded on the palate with notes of cassis, cherries and earth, with firm tannins. While most Bordeaux wines require aging, those labeled simply ‘Médoc’ tend to be lighter in style and more approachable in their youth.

Grown on gravel rich soils in the Left Bank of Bordeaux, wines from the Médoc are predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends, but sometimes see the addition of Petit Verdot and Malbec.

Red wine

Red wine has been prevalent since prehistory (the period before written records) as winemaking originated and spread throughout the world. In this case, “red blend” refers to any red wine that contains more than one red grape variety in the final product, though certain red blends can have their own designation as varietal wines despite comprising multiple grapes.

For much of the history of European wine, red blends were in fact more common than single varietals, as winemaking was typically region-centric and featured grapes consolidated from vineyards across a given area. One famous example of this practice is the Bordeaux blend, which originated in the 18th or 19th century and usually comprises Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

Though prominent red blends such as Bordeaux still remain popular, many red blends have been associated with lower quality due to the assumption that the term indicates cheaper table wines. However, many high-quality wine producers still elect to produce red blends, and these wines can in fact offer many unique and delicious flavors due to the winery’s ability to custom design the profile of their product.”