Château Sociando-Mallet
Encyclopedia
Château Sociando-Mallet is an unclassed Bordeaux wine
producer from the appellation
Haut-Médoc. The winery
is located on the Left Bank of the Bordeaux wine regions
, in the commune of Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne
north of Saint-Estèphe
, France. Despite its estimation as a producer of high quality wine, it was neither ranked in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855
(not existing at the time), nor is it listed among Médoc
's Cru Bourgeois
, due to a decision of its owner Jean Gautreau not to enter it for such classification.
The winery also produces a second wine
named La Demoiselle de Mallet.
along with Château Verdignan as the leading cru of Saint-Seurin.
Sociando-Mallet was a forgotten and derelict property of vastly reduced land by the time it was bought by Jean Gautreau, a négociant from Lesparre, in 1969. The estate has since seen considerable expansion and modernisation, and enjoys high prices and a good reputation in today's wine market.
, 40% Merlot
and 5% Cabernet Franc
. An average of 20,000 cases of the Grand vin are produced per year.
Bordeaux wine
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world...
producer from the appellation
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
Haut-Médoc. The winery
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
is located on the Left Bank of the Bordeaux wine regions
Bordeaux wine regions
The wine regions of Bordeaux are the area around the city of Bordeaux within the Gironde department of Aquitaine. The region is naturally divided by the Gironde River into a Left Bank area which includes the Médoc and the subregions of St-Estèphe, Pauillac, St.-Julien, and Margaux and a Right Bank...
, in the commune of Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne
Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne
Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
north of Saint-Estèphe
Saint-Estèphe
Saint-Estèphe is a commune in the Gironde department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.-Population:-Wine:Saint-Estèphe is best known as the northernmost, and one of the four major wine-growing appellations of the Médoc...
, France. Despite its estimation as a producer of high quality wine, it was neither ranked in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855
Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855
The Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 resulted from the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris, when Emperor Napoleon III requested a classification system for France's best Bordeaux wines which were to be on display for visitors from around the world...
(not existing at the time), nor is it listed among Médoc
Médoc
The Médoc is a region of France, well known as a wine growing region, located in the département of Gironde, on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, north of Bordeaux. Its name comes from Medullicus, or "country of the Medulli", the local Celtic tribe...
's Cru Bourgeois
Cru Bourgeois
The Cru Bourgeois classification lists some of the high quality wines from the Left Bank Bordeaux wine regions that were not included in the 1855 Classification of Classed Growths, or Grands Crus Classés...
, due to a decision of its owner Jean Gautreau not to enter it for such classification.
The winery also produces a second wine
Second wine
Second wine is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from cuvee not selected for use in the Grand vin or first label...
named La Demoiselle de Mallet.
History
Situated on what was in 1633 the residence of a Basque nobleman named Sièvre Sociando, the first documentation of the estate mentions its nobles terres. After its acquisition around 1850 by Madame Mallet, it was recorded in the 1883 edition of Cocks & FéretCocks & Féret
Cocks & Féret or simply Féret, is the colloquial name of a Bordeaux wine directory originally created by Charles Cocks and Michel-Édouard Féret in 1846, which was published under the name Bordeaux, its Wines and the Claret Country and translated into French and published as the first edition of...
along with Château Verdignan as the leading cru of Saint-Seurin.
Sociando-Mallet was a forgotten and derelict property of vastly reduced land by the time it was bought by Jean Gautreau, a négociant from Lesparre, in 1969. The estate has since seen considerable expansion and modernisation, and enjoys high prices and a good reputation in today's wine market.
Production
The vineyard extends to 50 hectares, with the grape varieties of 55% Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
, 40% Merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
and 5% Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone - as in the Loire's Chinon...
. An average of 20,000 cases of the Grand vin are produced per year.